


What's Said is Said

by Luthen



Category: Labyrinth (1986), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: 16yo Jamie, 8yo Sophie, Be Careful What You Wish For, Kidnapping, M/M, Movie didn't happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2017-12-26 02:53:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/960725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luthen/pseuds/Luthen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jamie Bennett is a good big brother, happy to baby-sit his little sister on a Friday night. Things go terribly wrong when telling Sophie a story about wishing a bratty sister away, he does. On the upside, the ruler of Winterland, Jack Frost, is willing to let Jamie win Soph back. All he has to is run the Gauntlet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Misspoken Wish

“Once upon a time there was handsome young man, whose stepfather made him stay home with the baby.”

“I’m not a baby, Jamie!”

Jamie grinned and ruffled his little sister’s hair. True, eight years old wasn’t a baby like the story. But Sophie was still his baby sister. Some might think a sixteen year old spending his Friday night playing with his little sister odd. Jamie just considered it fun. So here they were, under a blanket fort, holding torches to their chins and telling stories.

“The ba- sorry. The _princess_ was a spoiled child. She wanted everything for herself, and the boy was practically a slave.

“But what no one knew, was that the Shadow King fell in love with him. And gave him certain powers.”

“Who’s that?” Sophie asked.

“The Boogeyman.”

“Eww, the Boogeyman? Why do you want _him_ to fall in love with you?”

“Uh, it’s just a story Soph. And it’s not about me.”

“Right…” Sophie drawled. She didn’t believe Jamie. He could’ve said the King was anyone, but chose the Boogeyman of all people. “Can it be the Easter Bunny?”

“No. It can’t be the Easter Bunny,” Jamie tersely replied. “Why would he be a kidnapper?”

“You didn’t say there was a kidnapper!”

“If you stayed quiet, I’d get to that bit of the story,” Jamie teased, poking her on the nose. “So…

“One night, when the princess had been particularly cruel to him, he asked the shadows for help.

“ _Say your right words_ , the shadows whispered, _and we’ll take the girl to the shadow kingdom. And you will be free._

“But the boy knew the King of Shadows would keep the girl in his castle forever, and ever. And turn her into a shadow. So he suffered in silence.”

Sophie was enraptured by the story, holding a pillow in a death grip to her chest. She was too caught up to even protest the princess being “cruel”.

“Until one night.

“When he was tired of doing chores and errands, and hurt by the harsh words of his stepfather, and he could no longer stand it.

“The shadows murmured to him, reminding him of the promise he’d been given. “All right! I’ll say the words!” he said, before saying, “No, I mustn’t. I mustn’t say them.” He argued with himself for hours. Would he, or wouldn’t he? Was the princess so unbearable as to be sent to the shadows?”

As he described the boy’s hesitance, Jamie rocked back and forth. Miming weighing his options. Neither noticed the deepening shadows, the darkening clouds outside, or the sudden coldness in the air.

“Finally he couldn’t take it, and said:

“I wish the shadows would take you away, right now!”

There was a roll of thunder and a heartbeat of darkness as their torches failed. When the light returned the siblings weren’t alone in their fort.

The shadows had grown. Now they had a sense of substance. They weren’t just flat light effects but wriggling shapes. However, rather than ghostly or frightening forms, they seemed to have chosen a bunch of children. Nothing creepy, other than their monotone colouring.

Reclining opposite Jamie was a boy. Jamie’s eyes travelled up from his bare feet, along legs not hidden _at all_ in brown (maybe) leather. The pants was so tightly fitted that Jamie couldn’t imagine how the boy got them on and off.

He was wearing a blue hoodie that was a little frayed, and decorated with a curious glistening across the shoulders. Blue tinged lips were parted showing off perfect white teeth. Beneath snow white hair, bright blue eyes were glistening with mirth.

By his side a rustic looking shepherd’s crook rested. And curled up against the other slept Sophie.

“You’re not the Boogeyman,” left Jamie’s mouth before he could consider this new development. At least he didn’t say _you’re hot_.

“I’m not?”

“No. You’re Jack Frost.”

The air of nonchalance that the boy was projecting shattered. He sat up, losing his grip on his crook but catching Sophie before she hit the ground.

“Did you just say..?”

“Jack Frost. That’s your name isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but how did you know? No one’s ever seen me before.”

“The frost,” Jamie waved at the ice creeping along the sheets, “and you just look like a Jack.”

 “Huh,” Jack seemed still stuck on Jamie’s feat.

“I want my sister back,” Jamie said, leaning forward, “if it’s all the same.”

However, when Jamie reached across, the shadows erupted. They curled between him and Sophie, now eyes and teeth. Getting the message, Jamie withdrew his hand and leant back. The shadows flowed back to the corners and their cutesy forms. Sophie was gone.

“Sorry. Should’ve warned you. You wished the shadows to take her away.”

“I didn’t mean it,” Jamie knew that was hardly enough of a defence but he thought the rest was. “It was a line said by a boy in the story I was telling. The boy wanted his step-sister taken away.”

“Oh, ah, well,” Jack started scratching the back of his head with the staff. “You see, I might be current King of Winterland but I can’t stop it doing what it does.”

“You _can’t?_ ”

“I mean it likes to play. It won’t just give her back. You’ll need to beat me or the Gauntlet. Or…” Jack grinned invitingly, “You could come too.”

“What?”

Jack sprung up, jabbing his crook into the air. A wind barrelled through the room, whisking the blankets into a messy pile.

“Come with me! Come to Winterland. You won’t have to worry about growing up, about work, about anything!”

Jamie opened his mouth but managed to catch the words before the escaped. If Jack Frost had appeared two years ago, or even just one, he probably would’ve taken the offer. At sixteen he was hardly an adult, but he was learning about responsibility and consequences.

He couldn’t hurt his mom, or his friends by disappearing like that. Nor could he let Sophie be taken.

“I can’t. I appreciate what you’re offering, but I want my sister back.”

“Then you better come with me.”

Jamie’s protest was ignored as Frost whacked him over the head with his crook. Everything whited out.


	2. Challenges Issued

Jamie rubbed his eyes, hoping to speed his recovery from snow blindness. And distract himself from his headache. Then seeing that he wasn’t at home, but rather somewhere else, he scrambled to his feet.

Well, Jamie, you are not in Burgess anymore.

Maybe Pennsylvania, but he’d know if a park like this existed, right? Spread out below Jamie were lawns, playing fields, and an expanse of play equipment. Scattered throughout were little club houses, treehouses and gazeboes. Everything was coloured in snow and frost, which if the light had been any brighter would be blinding.

As it was it hurt to look at. The far side sometimes looked a mile off or more, and sometimes the basin seemed like a small pond.

It was alive with hundreds of shadow children playing. Playing games of tag, football, duck-duck-goose and many more that Jamie couldn’t identify from afar.

“Brilliant, isn’t it?”

Jamie whirled to find Jack Frost looking over the valley with a fond expression. Jamie just crossed his arms and glared at the winter spirit.

“So. Are you going to give me Sophie back?”

“Can’t. Give her that is. The magic of Winterland won’t let me.”

“I need to take her back then?”

Frost smiled widely, “Knew you’d get it eventually!”

Jamie lost control for a moment and raised a fist, “Where. Is. My. Sister?”

“Woah, calm down,” Frost said complete with hand waving. Before pointing across the park with his staff. “She’s there in my treehouse.”

“It doesn’t look that far,” Jamie observed. If he looked at it the right way. “What are the rules?”

“Glad you asked.” Frost twirled his staff round to hang his arms off it. “There are two ways to win. One, you challenge me to a game. You only get one chance with each game to win. Not likely.

“Two, you make it to my treehouse before time runs out. You can’t just run there. You have to play your way.”

“Right.” Jamie crossed his arms again. “And if I don’t?”

“Winterland won’t let you advance.”

“How long do I have?”

“You have… five hours. Starting now!”

Jamie took a deep breath. No time to waste on rescuing Sophie.

“Fine.” He pointed at Frost. “I challenge you to _BlazBlue: Chronophantasma_ versus.”

“Can do! Follow me!”

Frost started running down the hill, dragging a bewildered Jamie by his crook. The spirit wasn’t meant to know how to play, so it would be an easy win for Jamie.

But no. The spirit was pulling Jamie into one of the club houses. The inside was like any rumpus room he’d seen. Big TVs, beanbags, couches, a collection of kids far too invested in their games.

Though when they noticed Frost, they quickly paused and gave him their full attention. Apparently the idea of an outsider and the King getting in a match was far more interesting in whatever they had been doing.

“He can’t just take you on, Jack,” a shadow of a husky preteen protested.

Eventually they settled on an eight player tournament. Jamie was just happy they were getting on with it. He was on a time limit!

How they had a copy of the game Jamie didn’t care to guess. They were pretty good though. He almost didn’t make it to the grand final against Jack.

“Jin Kisaragi. Why am I not surprised?” Jamie drawled as Frost picked the ice user for their match. The spirit had been using him for the whole tournament.

“What? At least I’m not cross-dressing as a cyborg lady who doesn’t understand the point of a fighting game. Lasers just ain’t right.”

“It ain’t cheating.”

“Should be,” Frost muttered, before setting the last options. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

The opening animations came up, along with the announcer’s call:

“Rebel one!” / “Rebel one! Jinx.”

Jamie was too engrossed in beating Jack Frost into a pulp to care. Not that he was a much of a mid-battle trash talker. It was a close first round, but Jamie managed to land a combo to claim victory.

“Lasers beat ice,” Jamie said, sounding like _I told you so_.

“Pinch and a poke!” Frost gleefully called as he extracted his punishment.

“Wait, you care about jinxes? Aren’t you a little old for that?”

“Nah, it’s fun. So it’s a game that’s always going on.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jamie groaned as he did his best to ignore his sore bicep. He blamed his second round loss on it actually. He’d made the tactically dubious choice to attempt Mu-13’s Distortion Finish, but Frost had killed him before he pulled it off.

Now it was the last round of the grand final. Match, game, tournament point. Jamie took a deep, steadying breath and went to war.

And was decimated.

“Were you playing with me the first two rounds?” Jamie asked embarrassed by being taken out so quickly.

“No, just relearning the combos.”

“Yeah, right,” Jamie grumbled. That had been his best chance of winning a game against Jack Frost. He wasn’t a sporty guy, and hadn’t really played any playground games in years. He’d just have to keep moving.

With that thought, he got up and walked out of the club house.

“We moved,” Jamie said flatly. When they went in they had been closer to the forest than the lake. Now it the reverse. He could even see the clubhouse he’d been dragged into.

Frost followed him out and laughed at Jamie’s confusion.

“Yep. Looks like Winterland liked your playing.” He pulled a pocket watch out of his hoodie’s pouch. “Almost makes up for wasting forty-eight minutes challenging me.”

Jamie huffed and started down the hill. Whatever teleporting had happened, they hadn’t moved around the lake any. Jack Frost’s fancy treehouse was still perfectly opposite. Jamie walked up to a little girl shadow and poked her on the shoulder.

She gave a little hum but didn’t look up from her game. Which seemed to involve braiding flowers and digging.

“Which way should I go to get to Jack Frost’s treehouse?”

The girl just pointed to the right side of the lake. With a shrug, either way seemed the same to him, Jamie angled his course that way.

Jack followed along behind, stopping to pat the girl’s head.

“Why’d you tell him that?”

“He would’ve missed the fun if he went the other way.”

“Good one Sera,” Jack chuckled before riding a breeze to catch up to Jamie.

Jamie made it maybe a hundred yards before a gaggle of shadows swarmed around him. They ranged from just reaching his waist to one who had six inches on him.

“Play with us!” “Come on!” “Yeah!”

“Sorry, I can’t,” Jamie said, as he tried to continue wading through the crowd. He didn’t have time to waste.

“Na-huh,” said Frost waving a finger, “remember, you’ve got to play your way.”

Jamie would’ve pinched the bridge of his nose – if his arms weren’t weighed down by eager kids. So he settled for a heavy sigh, and asked, “What are you playing?”

“Hide and Seek!” “You can be the Seeker!”

“Okay, okay, but just one game.”

The children pushed Jamie over to a tree. He began the ritual. Placing his arms over his head and starting to count, “One, two, three…”

Jamie could hear the laughter of the shadows as they ran and hid. With his eyes closed it was hard to imagine them as the darkened, greyed versions they were. But he instead thought of the kids Sophie sometimes dragged him into playing with.

“…ninety eight, ninety nine, _one_ hundred! Ready or not, here I come!”

He started looking, doing his best to balance speed with thoroughness. The shadows were very hard to find, choosing appropriately shadowy hidey-holes. Winterland seemed to be giving them a home ground advantage too. The area was much more littered with shrubs and debris offering plenty of hiding spots.

It took Jamie a couple passes without finding anyone to realise that one of the clubhouses fell within the range of the game. That opened a whole new territory for him to search. Jamie wasn’t surprised when it became obvious the clubhouse was bigger on the inside.

By now he was down to the two last hiders. Jack Frost, obviously, and another the shadows called Jason.

Jamie was double-checking the clubhouse when he caught something in the corner of his eye. He whirled to look and saw nothing. Just his shadows, cast from the lamps around the room.

Frowning, he examined that thought. Something was wrong with that. There was no place for anyone to hide in the room, yet Jamie couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching. In the shadows.

With that thought, Jamie realised what his subconscious was trying to tell him. He was casting on more shadow than he should be. A quick deduction and he stepped so that it rose up the wall. Before grapping it by the shoulder.

“Found you.”

The shadow laughed, and as Jamie pulled back, became a shadow boy. A boy that looked like a younger brother to Jack Frost. The same grin, though Jamie thought it more cute than hot. But the colours were wrong. Even if he was a shadow, his hair and eyes too dark. Plus he was wearing a little cape thing rather than a hoodie.

“Good work! Am I the last?”

Jamie shook his head, “No. Still haven’t found Frost.”

The boy, Jason probably, deflated a little. “Aw, one day I’ll beat him at _something_.” He perked up and added, “Why don’t we look for him together?”

“Yeah, I don’t have time to waste.”

“He always does this,” Jason whined when another round of search came up empty.

“Does what?” Jamie asked as he tried looking in a tree for Frost. He was just about willing to declare defeat. The shadows he’d found already were near the counting tree, amusing themselves playing duck-duck-goose.

“Gets all competitive with newbies.” Jason shrugged. “He’s not a sore loser, really, he just needs to win the first time.”

“Well if that’s true,” Jamie mused. He had been distracted enough with the game. He needed to get to Sophie. He mustn’t forget that. “Alright!” he yelled, “I give up! You win Frost!”

Nothing.

Jamie huffed and headed off in what should be the right direction. As long as Winterland was behaving itself.

“Where are you going?” Jason asked as he followed.

“I have to get to Jack’s treehouse to rescue my sister.”

“Oh. She was taken?” Jason said. Silence reigned for a short while before Jason tackle hugged him.

Surprised, Jamie was knocked to the ground. Jason grinned, rolled off Jamie and to his feet. He then turned to run back to the group, yelling over his shoulder, “Don’t worry. Good luck!”

Jamie blinked, rolling his head to look up at the wintery sky. That had been odd. He hadn’t even had a real talk with the boy. He still wondered how the shadow was related to Jack Frost. A dark brother to him?

Whatever, he had to keep moving. Jamie got up and continued on his way.

This area of Winterland was still littered with structures and shrubs for hiding. And Jamie idly wondered when he’d stumble onto the next challenge. All these little piles of rubbish were starting to look the same.

It took seeing the one topiary dolphin _three_ times for Jamie to realise that Winterland was screwing with him again.

“Really?” Jamie griped into the wind, “I played the game. Now I have to keep going.”

Jamie quickly found that changing direction also got him nowhere. Soon all that he could see were topiary dolphins. It was fast becoming a surreal nightmare.

Which ended violently when Jamie was knocked over from behind. There was a flurry of light and dark. Then Jamie felt himself crashing into something else and going down in a tangle of limbs. And fur?

“What the bloody hell was that for!?”


	3. Charges and Sentencing

“What the bloody hell was that for!?”

Jamie’s efforts to roll off his impromptu cushion were helped by said cushion kicking him through the air. Which caused him to land on the reason for his fall. Jamie tried again to stand and this time no one interfered. He wasn’t particularly surprised that it was Jason he’d landed on. He extended a hand to haul the shadow upright.

“There you are, you blighter,” snarled the monster as reached past Jamie to hold Jason up by his collar. “Now I’ve found you, I can end you and your ankle-biter snatching.”

Jamie was surprised at the Australian accent the monster was using. Especially when a brief glance, at its ears and tail mostly, showed Jamie it was-

“The Easter Bunny?” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah, what of it?” the six-foot rabbit snapped at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“My job. Stopping this mongrel kidnapping any more kids.” He then glanced askance at Jamie. You could call the expression softer, but less harsh would be more accurate. “Looks like it’s not too late for you. We should be able to get you home. A few years might’ve passed but that’ll be okay.”

Jamie blinked, taking a moment to process that. Right, a night dancing with the fairies could be a hundred years. Probably applies to Winterland. But the Easter Bunny – and that was a weird thing to think – seemed to believe _Jason_ was a kidnapper.

“Wait. You think Jason kidnapped me?”

“What? No. Jack Frost did,” he punctuated this by shaking his captive.

“But, that’s not Jack.”

The Easter Bunny looked at Jamie like he was crazy. Then at Jason who was nodding vigorously. Before looking back to Jamie with a sarcastic questioning eyebrow raised.

A cold wind circled them and kicked up the snow scattered around them. Jamie was not surprised when a voice called out through the impromptu white-out.

“ _I’m_ Jack Frost!”

The snow settled to reveal Frost perched impossibly on his crook, staring down at the Easter Bunny. Whose gaze was flicking between Jack and Jason.

“Kanga! What are you doing here?”

“Guardian business _Frost_ ,” the Easter Bunny’s voice was venomous, “Protecting the kids. From monsters like you.”

Jamie might have imagined the flicker of hurt across Frost’s face. But he certainly didn’t imagine the stone face that the winter spirit donned.

“I’ll never hurt a child!”

“Really?” the rabbit snarked, shaking Jason for emphasis, _again_ , “Then who’s this?”

“Jackson Overland’s Shadow but people call me J’son.” Somehow he managed to cross his arms and shrug, all while still being held up by his collar. “And for the record I’m older than Jack.”

A moment of silence.

“What? I _am_ ,” Jason stressed. “Pitch won me _years_ before he cau-”

Whatever Jason was going to say was silenced by a bolt of lightning freezing his face.

“Ixnay on the apturingcay, ightray?”

Jamie filed that away to ask Frost about later.

“Fine, this one’s old _management_ , but what about ‘im?”

Jamie went a little cross-eyed at the claw an inch from his nose.

“He accidentally wished his sister to the shadows,” Jack explained, before extracting his watch, “ _and_ you’re wasting his time. He’s only got three hours and thirty-seven minutes to get to my treehouse.”

Jamie ducked past the furry appendage determined to make up for lost time. Unfortunately said arm grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up too.

He barely had time to squawk in protest before he fell to earth again. Judging from the cracking and frigid blasts Jack had gone on the offensive.

The skirmish didn’t last long. The Easter Bunny quickly dropped Jason and armed himself with… boomerangs? However, as soon as he was distanced from Jason and Jamie, Jack stopped attacking.

“Hands off,” Jack ordered.

“Getting a little possessive there, ya dropkick.”

“You still haven’t said why you’re here,” Jack said calmly, “I mean, I like entertaining as much as the next guy, but you _are_ trespassing.”

The Easter Bunny shifted slightly at that. Before covering that up in bluster.

“Guardian business. Putting an end to you kidnapping children.”

“I don’t kidnap, not really. I take in runaways, abandoned kids, those lost in blizzards. The shadows taking someone is really rare. I don’t let them out.”

The rabbit seemed to relax a little at Frost’s description before tensing back up.

“Then how did they get this nong?”

“As I said, he made a wish. I don’t have full control of the shadows.” Jack Frost crossed his arms almost indignant. “And I always give newbies a choice or a chance to leave.”

“Speaking of which, I need to be going. You two have fun doing whatever.” Jamie turned and started walking towards The Treehouse again. “Hello, what do I have to play this time?”

Winterland decided to answer him by tripping him with a big, knotted rope. There was a flag tied in the middle and Jamie could see rough lines in the snow.

“Tug of war?” Jamie ask aloud, “Who am I meant to play with?”

The wind seemed to answer Jamie by blowing his hair in his face. When he turned to face the still bickering Jack Frost and Easter Bunny it stopped.

“Well, that’s an idea. Jack Frost! I challenge you a game of Tug of War.”

“What’s he on about?” the Easter Bunny asked.

“If I beat him at a game I get my sister back and we go free.”

Jack nodded, “Yeah, anyone beats me at a game on my home-turf I have to grant their wish as best I can.”

“Righto, I challenge you to Tug of War too.”

“Really?” Jack answered, drawing it out. “Fine, I accept! You two against me and Jason.”

The Easter Bunny gave Jamie a dismissive look but nodded his acceptance to the terms. Jamie guessed the rabbit thought he had enough muscle by himself. Not unreasonable. Jack and Jason were twiggy and Jamie was only slightly muscled himself.

The pairs grabbed their ends of the rope and braced themselves. Jamie found himself in front of the Easter Bunny looking at Jack Frost over Jason’s head. His life had taken a turn for the weird, hadn’t it? He hoped he wasn’t in a padded room somewhere.

“You can do the count, Cottontail,” Jack offered, “On three?”

“Right. One. Two. Three.”

The rope snapped taught as each team started to pull. It was deadlocked for a minute. Then the hairs on the back of Jamie’s neck stood up. Static electricity ran up his arms and a smell that could only be described as “green” hit him.

Jamie was lifted off the ground again as the Easter Bunny started wrenching the rope back. Jamie stumbled to regain his footing, only managing to go with the flow.

Their victory was thwarted by a counter attack by Jack and Jason. A cold wind buffeted Jamie from behind and frost crept along the rope. At the same time, the snow beneath them slicked.

The end result being Jamie and the Easter Bunny being quickly pulled along the ground and over the goal line.

“Hah! We win!” Frost crowed.

“Ya cheated,” the Easter Bunny protested, “you used your magic!”

“You did first,” Frost retorted, complete with sticking out his tongue. Jason the visually younger brother of Frost was definitely looking like the long suffering older brother at this moment. “You know what that means?”

“What..?” the Australian asked.

“ _I_ get to ask you to grant my wish.”

“Fine, I’ll be going then.”

“You think I want you to leave? _No_ , you’re all hard-work and deadlines, I think you could do with a break!”

“Wha-no! I have work to do. Easter ain’t goin’ to prepare itself!”

“I’m not going keep you long. Just a few hours.” Frost started tapping his chin in thought.

“Wait,” Jamie asked fearing the answer to what he was about to ask, “Does this mean I owe you two favours?”

Frost looked at Jamie and smiled. “Nope. They’re covered by the Gauntlet Challenge.” Frost clicked his fingers. “Idea! What’s Sophie think about the Easter Kangaroo?”

“Ah,” Jamie hedged before slumping, what was the point of lying? “He’s her favourite. Honestly, she’s obsessed.”

“Brilliant!” Frost’s grin grew maniacal as he rubbed his hands. “I know just what I’m going to ask you to do, Bunny.”

The winter spirit clapped his hands, twice sharply, and a shadowy tornado of snow sprung up next to him. After a few moments it dispersed to reveal a sleepy looking Sophie. She rubbed her eyes and peeked through the gap in her fringe. Seeing Jamie she beam and ran towards him, yelling, “Jamie! Jamie! You came and – Bunny! Hop, hop, hop!”

Jamie instinctually face palmed. Sophie was a bright kid but mention bunnies, or worse the Easter Bunny, and she regressed to a hyperactive two year old. He dragged his hand down his face to see the Easter Bunny falling prey to her. It was ridiculous.

Judging by Jack Frost’s rolling in the snow laughing fit, he thought it was ridiculously funny. It took him a few minutes to regain his composure. About the same time it took for Sophie to defeat the Easter Bunny and forcibly claim a bunny-back ride.

“This is _brilliant_ ,” Frost said melodramatically wiping a tear from his eye, “I thought you were a Guardian? Don’t you know what to do with a kid?”

“I’m too busy to waste time like _some people_.”

“Well think of this as a learning experience then,” Jack offered. “I’m ordering you to babysit Jamie’s little sister while he runs the gauntlet.”

“That’s it?”

“Oh no, you have to do whatever she asks, within reason. So Sophie, what do think of a tea party with the Easter Bunny?”

“Tea tea tea!”

“The lady’s spoken.”

“Fine. How ‘ard can it – ah!”

Right as the Easter Bunny tempted fate, Sophie stood on his shoulders to grab his ears. She succeeded, but lost her footing and fell to earth. Pulling the six-foot rabbit down head first as well.

Thankfully for Jamie’s heart, the snow Sophie was falling towards inflated into a big cushion that caught her. At the same time a gust of wind knocked the Easter Bunny sideways onto his own pillow. And a low table, fully set, and more cushions with stuffed toys, also grew out of the snow.

Jamie nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand landed on his shoulder. The cold temperature sent a shiver down his spine.

“You better get going,” Jack said, “time’s a wasting.”

“What about Sophie?”

“She’ll be fine. Bunny might be an ass but he _is_ a Guardian of Childhood.”

“If she’s here why do I need to go to your Treehouse anyway?”

“We can’t go changing the rules in the middle of a game, kiddo.” Frost hadn’t turned his head from looking at Sophie playing but Jamie caught Frost looking at him out of the corner of his eye. “Or you know. The offer for you to stay here still stands. I’ll even let Sophie go home if you ask.”

Jamie shrugged Frost’s hand off his shoulder. Before taking a step away from him and turning to face the winter spirit directly.

“And how is that better? No. I’m going to rescue my sister and take her home.”

“Fine then. Clock’s ticking.” Frost gave Jamie a little push, spinning him back around. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on them for you.”

“Wait, what were you saying about capturing before?”

Jamie looked back to find that Frost or Winterland had sent him somewhere new. Frost and Sophie’s tea party were out of sight.

Jamie said something his mother would definitely not approve of.


	4. Slip Ups, Verbal and Playful

Thwap!

Jamie staggered sideways from the snowball’s impact.

“Such foul language! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Jamie looked towards the speaker to find the little girl he’d asked for directions before. Now that he was able to see her face he saw a definite resemblance to Jason. In a stretched kind of way. Her black fringe was swept to one side like a neat version of Sophie’s hair style.

She held his gaze for a moment before collapsing in a rush of giggles.

“Ooookay,” Jamie said for lack of anything meaningful, before gesturing towards the Treehouse. “Anyway, I’ve got to get going.”

“No!” the girl shouted.

Jamie knew that tone. That was the voice of a girl about to throw a major tantrum. A girl likely to do _anything_ to get what she wants.

The icy wind pushing him told Jamie that Winterland wasn’t going to let him avoid playing with this girl either.

“Fine, what’s your name, then?”

“Sera, I think.”

“You think?”

“It’s what everybody calls me.” Sera shrugged, “Papa used to. Big Brother does now. But it doesn’t feel right.”

“Do… do you want to be called something else?”

“Ah I um,” Sera floundered, apparently never having actually thought about it before. She seemed to be thinking aloud and turning inward in her ruminations. “I don’t know. I like it when Jason says I remind him of the sister he used to have. Emma. But I can’t be Emma, I’m Sera. Not Emma.”

“Well…” Jamie faltered himself as the little girl slipped into a fit of muttering to herself. Hoping to draw her out of it, he asked, “What do you want to play then?”

“Make a snowman?”

The way she flipped straight back to cheerful child mode, was kinda creepy actually.

“Okay, but I can’t stay long,” Jamie warned, “I’ve got to go rescue my sister.”

Sera made a grumpy face and crossed her arms. “Fine. But you promise to play with me later?”

“Y-” Jamie caught himself, who knew how binding the promise would be, “I’ll play with you later if I have time.”

“You better.”

Jamie shrugged and started rolling up a big snowball for the snowman’s base. Sera meanwhile scurried off, giggling, to find arms for sticks and rocks for buttons.

He really shouldn’t have been surprised when a flurry of wind revealed a near fluoro carrot.

“What, no top hat?”

The only answer Jamie got was the wind blowing his shirt over his head when he bent down to pick it up. He grumbled a little but said nothing more. No need to bait Winterland any further.

“I got them!” Sera called as she trundled up to Jamie, arms full of sticks and stones.

“Good girl,” Jamie praised before starting to pack another snowball. “I’ll do the middle and you do the head, okay?”

“Yeah,” Sera agreed.

They rolled and patted snow for maybe a minute in silence. Jamie wasn’t sure what he could say. What do you ask a shadow girl, living in a winter wonderland? He doubted Frost made her go to school. Or do chores.

Did she have parents?

“Who was your Papa?”

Sera stilled, and Jamie mentally kicked himself for skipping his brain-mouth filter again.

“Papa was… he was the deepest shadow,” Sera said, eyes focused on some memory, “He found me at the lake. He said I was his daughter Sera and that he’d always be there for me. He brought me friends to play with, and one day Jack.

“I liked Jack, but Papa didn’t like that. He tried to keep me away from Jack. But one day I got Jack out of his room and then Papa went away.”

Jamie blinked. His gut told him that was all important but he had no idea what she was talking about. Silence fell again while Jamie lifted Sera up to place the snowman’s head in place. And its face. Before Jamie _again_ blurted out a question.

“Did Papa have a name?”

Sera nodded, “His name was Pitch Black.” She then took on that comically serious expression kids sometimes wore and declared, “But I like Jack better. He’s a better guardian.”

“Sera! You’re gonna make blush.”

Jamie turned and, sure enough, there was Jack Frost melodramatically making an entrance.

Not wasting a moment, Jamie grabbed Frost by the hoodie and pulled him close.

“Woah! What’d I do now?”

“I have questions,” Jamie said, “I get you didn’t want to answer them in front of the Easter Bunny but I’m going to ask again. What did Jason mean about you being captured before? Or him being won? And who’s Pitch Black?”

Frost’s face closed off again and he shrugged. Before counting off on his fingers as he answered Jamie’s questions.

“One, what do you think he meant? Two, I don’t know the details, never asked. Jackson Overland did what you’re doing now, got his sister home but cost him his shadow. Ask him. Three, the Boogeyman.”

“The Boogeyman’s real?” Jamie asked incredulously. Which was admittedly kind of silly considering he’d just been on the Easter Bunny’s team in a Tug of War.

“Yeah, British too. Real asshole,” Jack shared as he slipped out of Jamie’s loosened grip to stand on his own. “Winterland used to be this horrible twisty place before I won it off him.” Jack waved his hands as if clearing a bad smell. “Enough about that nightmare, you’re running out of time! Better get going.”

Jamie grumbled a bit as Frost started pulling him in the direction of the Treehouse. He still wanted to know more, but figured he hadn’t done too bad for starters.

Plus he was pretty sure the tingling in his hand was frostbite.

“Hey guys!”

Jamie recognised Jason’s voice calling out from the group of shadows that Frost had dragged him too. They were in a clearing of a sort, like Winterland had faked a snowy concrete schoolyard in frozen dirt.

“You’re just in time,” Jason continued, “We’re about to have a hopscotch tournament.”

Jamie groaned a little. Hopscotch wasn’t exactly something kids played in Burgess these days. He certainly hadn’t played it in _years_. In fact, he doubted Sophie had either, she was a bit too much of a klutz.

“How long is this going to take?” Jamie asked, “I am on a clock.”

“What Mister Challenger not up to hopscotch?” Frost teased.

“Not really, no. Haven’t in ages.”

“Too bad. Remember, you have to play your way,” Frost said, complete with chastising finger wave. “And don’t think of taking a dive, Winterland won’t like that.”

“Fine. Let’s get on with it.”

“Don’t be like that, this is supposed to be _fun!_ ”

“Frost,” Jamie said flatly, “I’m running a gauntlet of schoolyard games because I accidentally wished my little sister away to the shadows. I shouldn’t be having _fun_.”

The winter spirit recoiled as if Jamie had winded him. He was a supernatural creature, probably hundreds of years old, did he really forget what was going on?

Not caring to waste any more time on the ice spirit Jamie marched over to Jason’s throng of shadow children. He’d play this stupid hopscotch contest, give it his all, and be knocked out quick enough. Then he could rescue Sophie and pretend this never happened.

Jamie took a deep breath, counted to five and let it out. There was no point in getting angry at _everything_ , the shadowkids might be the ones who took Sophie but Jamie felt that it was just their nature. Not really malicious. And they were honest about it. Not like Frost, who seemed to have this fantasy they were on the same side.

“So Jason, how are we doing this?”

The shadowboy grinned, and waved at the ground, which was now inscribed over a dozen hopscotch courses. Looked like bright white ice lines in the frozen dirt. Enough tracks for everyone to get their own.

“It’s going to be a race. First one to complete the full run, rock in every square wins. If you make a mistake you get to join Sera as ref.”

“Okay,” Jamie nodded and lined up at a free course. Winterland supplied a nice, puck-like rock for him to toss. He started idly throwing and catching it while he waited for everyone to get in place.

“Ready?” Sera called from across the course.

Jamie nodded to himself and held the rock ready to throw. Just because he knew he was going to drop out early didn’t mean he wouldn’t give it proper shot.

“Set!” Sera’s pause felt like a small eternity, before: “Go!”

Jamie dropped the rock into square number one and started hopping through the rest and back. Maybe it was the nature of Winterland, or the enthusiasm of the shadow children rubbing off on him, but Jamie found himself becoming extremely invested in the hopscotch race.

He could only spare a small sliver of attention from his own hopping and rock skipping. But he could hear Sera calling out the names of the people who’d misstepped.

“Jamie!”

 _What?_ Jamie looked down at his left foot straddling the line between the first and second squares. _Oh_. He’d made up to the fifth lap, which he thought wasn’t too bad. He glanced at the others and was surprised to see that about half the shadows were already out. He’d done better than he expected.

He wandered next to Sera to get a better look at those still racing and his attention was grabbed (naturally) by Jason and Frost. They were matched, spring for spring, step for step, square for square. Already wrapping up their seventh lap. The way that Jason’s greyscale form followed Frost niggled at Jamie’s awareness but he pushed it aside.

The shadow children were cheering the remaining contenders on now. As Jason and Frost began their second last lap it became clear the winner was going to be one of the pair. The others still skipping were sacrificing speed for caution, and unless the forerunners missed a landing, they didn’t have a chance.

“Go Jason!” Jamie called, it was petty, but if he was going to cheer someone it wasn’t going to be Frost.

Skipping towards the finish line, Jamie’s cheering had a surprising effect. Frost’s gaze flicked over him and he realised what Jamie was shouting. The ice spirit stumbled and Jason took first place.

“Jason wins!” Sera declared.

“Awwww,” Frost whined then, grinned and clapped Jason on the back, “Good race! You’re pretty light on your feet.”

Jason flushed – a weird effect on a grey face – and looked at his toes. “It’s nothing, me and my little sister used to play hopscotch every day.”

Something flickered across Frost’s face too fast for Jamie to discern.

 _Whatever_ , Jamie thought to himself, _gotta keep moving_.

Not wanting to waste time, Jamie headed off in the direction of the Tree House, again.

* * *

Jack watched Jamie stalk off. He barely resisted the urge to hide in his hoodie and fly away. He just wanted to be Jamie’s friend, was that too much to ask?

Sure meeting cause Sophie had been wished away was pretty crumby but still. He’d hardly made it difficult for Jamie to rescue her. He was making good time already.

No mortals could see him but Jack hoped that Jamie would be able to see him even after he left Winterland. It was nice, being talked to and touched by someone who was definitely _real_. The shadows were nice but sometimes Jack felt like he was fading into a shadow himself.

“Maybe you need a story game, boss,” Jason offered. “Truth or Dare, Two Truths and a Lie? He’s not going to be your friend if you don’t talk.”

Jack nodded, that might just work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay, had end of year assignments to deal with. But now I should have plenty of time to finish this. Also Pitch decided to wreck my plot outline.


	5. Telling Stories

Jamie tromped through the snow. He needed to stay, not angry, but at least irritated. He couldn’t let the joy of Winterland get to him. He needed to stay focused on getting Sophie out, not fall for whatever charms the realm or its ruler cast on him.

“Yo.”

It would be cliché (and misleading) to say Jamie froze. But he did stall mid-step. The irritating sprite had dropped down beside him and casually thrown an arm around his shoulders.

“Frost.” Jamie curtly replied, before continuing to walk, “What do you want?”

“To apologise.”

Surprised, Jamie stopped and looked at Jack Frost properly. The spirit looked sincerely contrite. The fretting of his fingers gripping his staff broadcast nerves that Jamie hadn’t thought the winter shepherd susceptible to.

“For joking about the challenge. I shouldn’t have. You’re not Bunny – you know when to relax. Which means you know when to be serious. Something I don’t always get right.”

“I forgive you.” The words spilled from Jamie’s lips before he really weighed them. But he found he meant them. “I wasn’t really angry with _you_ , just all this.

“Honestly,” he continued with the hint of a smile, “I’d like to be your friend, but I’ve got to save my sister first.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Jack.”

“Come back ‘ere you lil nipper!”

Whatever gentle mood of understanding had been spun between them, was torn to threads by Sophie co-opting Jamie as a human shield.

“Save me Jamie!”

“What did you do, Soph?”

“Nothing.”

Jamie knew that tone. She’d done _something_. Looking at the furious Easter Bunny now looming over him, he could see the colourful results.

“She nearly killed herself! That’s what she did!”

“What?” Jamie yelped, and part of him wondered where the echo came from.

“The numbskull decided to play with my grenades.”

“How was I supposed to know the eggs explode!?” Sophie shouted, “I thought it was an Easter egg! Why’d you have a bunch of bombs on your chest?”

“Coz I came here to fight Pitch and his minions, like Frost here!”

“Hey!” Jack objected, removing his arm from Jamie’s shoulder to point his crook at the giant rabbit. “I’d never work for Pitch. He tried to brainwash me for god’s sake!”

“That’s not the Man in the Moon said,” Bunny countered as if it was an everyday thing. “He told us you and Pitch were here planning something. And it can’t be good.”

Jamie was beginning to wonder when he’d stop being surprised by storybook characters being real.

“Well I’m not doing _anything_ with that creep. He kept going on about “what went better together than cold and dark?” It was really annoying.” Jack shrugged, “I haven’t seen him in about a century. And who cares what the Moon says, anyway?”

Jamie heard something buried in Jack’s tone. Pain and anger. What had the Moon said to him that hurt him so much?

“You should, you blighter. Why he chose you to be a spirit, I don’t have a ruddy idea.”

“What makes you think he _has_ a reason?” Jack offered in a dark tone, “He certainly never told me what it might be. Just my name.”

So the Moon didn’t say anything. Jamie could guess how that would be hurtful. The Easter Bunny made a funny expression at that. Jamie was no master of reading anthromorphic rabbit faces but furrowed brow and alarmed ears didn’t seem so much aggressive as surprised.

“Hey, Jamie! Wanna play with me and Bunny?”

Jamie looked down over his shoulder at his sister, and offered an apologetic grimace.

“Sorry Soph. I need to finish this challenge or you’ll be trapped here.”

“Aww, fine.” Her disappointed face lasted maybe a heartbeat before she vacated her defensive huddle. She bounced over to the giant lagomorph, regressing again, and dragged him off by the paw. “Let’s go! Play, play, play!”

“She’s a special one, isn’t she?” Jack observed.

“Yeah,” Jamie agreed, “one of a kind. I don’t mind talking but I’ve got to keep moving, don’t I?”

“Yeah, probably should. I know!” Jack crowed, jumping in front of Jamie. He kept walking backwards as he explained, “Let’s play a get to know each other game.”

“Oh? Are you suggesting Truth or Dare?”

“Yeah, but no. No dares. What about Two Truths and a Lie?”

Jamie raised an eyebrow at the teen-girlishness of the suggestion but nodded anyway. He did want to know more about the frost spirit anyway.

“Okay. You first, frosty.”

“Um,” Jack faltered in that way people do when put on the front, “I was born in that lake down there, my favourite food is ice cream and I like to go out to watch the Sandman’s rounds.”

Jamie considered the offered “facts”. Who knew how spirits worked? Maybe a winter spirit would be born from a lake. However that worked.

Ice cream seemed kind of obvious. And wrong. Why would a spirit capable of making ice like ice cream? Wouldn’t hot cocoa be more of a treat?

He’d never seen the Sandman before, but even as he thought that vague memories drifted back. Of checking in on Sophie before he went to bed and seeing sand rabbits binking over her.

“Ice cream isn’t your favourite.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack said with a very sombre expression, before grinning, “you’re correct! Good guess. I think my favourite food is chocolate, especially Halloween chocolate.”

“So you were born from a lake? Is that a metaphor or something?”

Jamie winced as Jack’s face closed off again. Even worse the spirit turned away from him to stare at the lake.

“Not sure what a metaphor is, but no, first thing I remember is the Moon pulling me out of the lake. He told me my name, but that’s all he’s ever told me.” Jack’s voice had been getting softer and softer, so Jamie only just caught Jack’s final words, “And that was a long, long time ago.”

Winterland conveyed its displeasure with a more than biting wind. The silent, soft breeze was far below freezing to inflict freezer burn on Jamie’s face. The challenger doubted Jack wanted to talk about it, so best to continue the game.

“My turn. Easter is my favourite holiday, I want to be a teacher when I grow up, and I lost a tooth sledding once.”

“Heh, I remember that.”

Whatever Jamie was expecting it wasn’t that. Judging from the satisfied smirk Jack was pulling, he knew something Jamie didn’t.

“You were such a great victim! I had so much fun taking you on that sled ride. Where did you think those ramps came from?”

Jamie shrugged, as a kid he hadn’t really questioned it. He’d been swept up in laying wait for the Tooth Fairy. Who was probably real, now that he knew Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny and the Boogeyman were.

“Not your fault, people call me ‘ _just an expression’_ ,” Jack said complete with air-quotes. He didn’t linger, continuing, “But I’m going to guess that you favourite holiday isn’t Easter. I refuse to believe that someone fun like you would like the grumpy roo’s work.”

“Wrong. Don’t you think a town-wide scavenger hunt is fun?” Jamie asked dryly, “It’s not like I knew the Easter Bunny could be such a hard-ass.”

Jack looked unhappy with Jamie’s answer but after a moment appeared to consider it before nodding. And adding, “Yeah, he’s an ass.”

“I don’t want to be a teacher when I grow up. I’d like to be a comic book artist and writer.”

“Oh? That sounds cool. I get my hands on one every now and again. Who’s your favourite?” Jack was being so _normal_ , Jamie could almost forget that he was an ice spirit and not just a teenager he’d met at the mall. “Mine’s Spider-Man. Not sure why. Maybe ‘cause he’s super but not _too_ super.”

“Yeah, Peter’s awesome. To be honest I thought you be more of a–”

“Jack!” “You’re under arrest!” “Jack!” “Play with us!”

Further discussion of hobbies and superheroes was curtailed by a new horde of shadow children. Jamie found himself pushed aside by the crowd. And couldn’t help laughing to himself as Jack was pulled down to his knees. Now that he wasn’t so hard to see the worst in Jack Frost, it was easy to see how friendly and good he was.

“Fine, fine! Now let me up!” the gravity of Jack’s command was severely undermined by the eager glee in his voice. “We’ll play with you. Cops and Robbers, right? Now let’s say that cave there is jail. Who wants to be a cop?”

Jamie started a little when he looked at the cave. He was sure that it hadn’t been there a second ago. But then most of these shrubs and other hidey-holes hadn’t been either. Winterland must be adjusting for a better game again.

The cave certainly looked the part. A gloomy, shadowy maw in a rock. It was a considerable way down the path from cave to hole in the ground.

“You ready Jim-Jam? Looks like we’re on the run.”

Jamie glanced at the shadow kids to see that half a dozen had taken up position in front of the jail. Curiously, Winterland had given them English style police helmets.

“Ready?” Jack called to everyone, “Go!”

Chaos.

That was the only word for it. All that Jamie knew was that he was being dragged along arm first by a cold hand. A few pounding heartbeats later and he was pulled down behind a convenient snow fort.

 “Give them a minute.”

Jamie felt the words like they were breathed in his ear. Glancing sideways he saw there was a definite lag between Jack’s lips and what he heard. Jack was probably magicking the wind or something.

“The first bunch of robbers will have the cops’ attention. Besides, no point in staging a breakout if no one’s there.”

That was a good point. Jamie prayed it wouldn’t take too long. There _was_ a deadline breathing down his neck. Hopefully, Winterland would reward him with a shortcut.

As always in this place, time was rubbery, so Jamie couldn’t say how long it had been when a crunch of snow alerted them. A ten year old shaped shadow came crashing over their cover, yelling:

“Freeze! You’re under arrest!”

They did the opposite. Naturally. Jack and Jamie sprang to their feet and ran like their lives depended on it. Unfortunately, they headed in different directions.

Jamie initially was too focused on escaping the child to notice this. However when he spared a look around he’d lost Jack. The winter shepherd camouflaged into the snow far too well. Nearly losing his footing forced Jamie to pay attention to where he was stepping.

It was all pointless though, as a shadow came careening from Jamie’s right, tackling him to the ground. He expected the snow to cushion his landing but instead a flurry of shadowy snow surrounded him.

The snow felt oddly oily, tainted somehow. Ever curious, Jamie grasped a handful of it before it disappeared. His fall was finally cushioned not by snow, but by a familiar body.

“Again!?” griped Jason.

“Sorry, sorry,” Jamie offered as he rolled off the shadow teen.

The portal? Snow funnel? Whatever had taken him to the designated jail. Jamie found himself in a small gathering of shadows milling about the mouth of the cave. A semi-circular area was clear of snow, and no one seemed able to leave it.

“Well this is boring,” Jamie said mostly to himself.

He rubbed the oily snow between his thumb and fingers. It somehow reminded him of disastrous blizzards and black ice. Not the happiness of snow days and a white Christmas.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed, “the rules won’t let us leave until someone breaks us out.”

Jamie nodded absently, watching the near constant light snowfall of Winterland. Perhaps he’d it was just it melting, but the snow felt lighter somehow. It even looked bluer. Like a snowflake settling to earth a thought returned to him.

“Hey, what can you tell me about Pitch Black?”

Jason tensed at the mention of the Boogeyman. After a moment he jerked his head towards the black maw of the cave.

“Not here,” what little colour Jason possessed waned, “Not where the others can hear.”

“Okay.”

The duo trekked in silence a dozen yards. Taking cautious steps on the increasingly steep and rocky slope. Once the light and murmur of the other “prisoners” had faded, Jason gestured for Jamie to sit.

“Pitch was the Nightmare King, and controlled the Shadowmen and Fearlings,” Jason began, “All the monsters that you went crying to your parents about.

“I, well, my caster Jackson Overland, had a sister, Emma. She was a precious little thing. One night, when the Sandman hadn’t left us sweet dreams, we couldn’t sleep.”

Jamie sat quietly as Jason told his story, a bittersweet expression of nostalgia across his cheeks. His golden eyes gleamed in the dark with what could only be unshed tears.

“This was centuries ago, and we only had a small cabin, so we shared a bed. Emma got so scared, I couldn’t calm her down. She was so terrified that she got up to join Mama and Papa.

“I shouldn’t’ve let her go. The moment she stepped on the floor, a shadow reached out from under our bed,” Jason paused, and Jamie recognised a boy struggling to maintain a stoic façade, “and dragged her under.

“I didn’t think. I just jumped after her.

“I found myself in this perverse, unnerving… dungeon. It was full of cages and stone, and nothing was straight. Nothing fit together like it should.

“The Boogeyman appeared. Told me if I could find my Emma before sunrise, we could both go home. My,” Jason here waved dismissively, before making air quotes, ““quest” was pretty boring. No games or races. I found Emma, but I was just too late

“Dawn had broken, but only just. The sun hadn’t cleared the horizon. So the Boogeyman offered Jackson Overland a deal: in exchange for his and Emma’s freedom, he would surrender his shadow and promise to tell all the children he met of the fearsome Boogeyman.

“Jackson agreed, and I was left behind. I lost myself in Pitch’s shadows. Until the day that Jack Frost won Winterland.”

Clap.

Clap.

“Thank you for the entertainment, I do so rarely get visitors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three guesses who that was. First two don't count.
> 
> So Jamie was meant to be angry with Jack and giving him the cold shoulder (ha, semi-ironic), but they refused to stay like that. Oh well.


	6. Interrorgations

Out of the gloom strode a menacing figure. Tall and thin, the grey skinned man loomed even yards away. His golden eyes glowed sickly in the dark, and his smile was in no way reassuring.

Jamie had no doubt this was the Boogeyman, Pitch Black.

“So good to see you again _Umbra Blacksun_. Are you going to introduce your new friend?”

“Ah, this is Jamie.” Jason shrunk under the Boogeyman’s gaze, losing a little definition even. “He asked me about you.”

Jamie did his best to ignore the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. His reptilian hind brain was heavily leaning toward flight over fight right now, but Jamie knew panic never helped. He was a nerd – Yoda and the Bene Gesserit had taught him well.

“Yeah, people kept mentioning you but not saying _anything_. I just wanted to know what was going on.”

“Oh, I am more than happy to answer your questions.”

“For a price?” slipped out before Jamie could stop himself. Again.

A cruel smile was Black’s reply, “Nothing extortionary. I have no need for mortal tokens.”

Well mortal tokens were probably the least valuable things Jamie could lose in this fairy tale. Money and objects could be replaced, memories and his soul – not so much.

“Anxiety is thinner than real fear,” mused Black to himself, “Probably for the best. Even before Frost locked me up here, I wasn’t really getting my fill of terror. Damn Guardians.”  Black turned his focus back on Jamie. “But I think such an appetiser deserves a reward. Ask me a question.”

“What will you tell me about Jack’s capture?”

“Of course you would ask about that brat. No matter.” Strutting around, hands switching between forceful gestures and clasping behind his back, Black just kept ticking the villain tropes. “It was simple enough – I laid trap for Frost when he returned to his home. He flew straight into it.”

“That much, huh?” murmured Jamie.

“A taste for a taste.”

Fair enough, in a twisted kind of way.

“What would it cost me for you to share the details of Jack’s capture?”

“Hmm, something a little more substantial I think.” Black tapped his chin in thought, and the pairing of rancid teeth and horrid nails wasn’t pleasant. “Tell me about something that scared you as a child, but only unnerves you now.”

Jamie considered the request. He was tempted to say “the dark” but he was never really one to be afraid of it. He’d had a nightlight like most kids but more because he liked the glowing pictures. He could still sleep soundly with it off. Plus all his favourite cryptids hid in the dark.

“Babushka Yokubovich. She’s this crazy, old, Russian lady who’s lived down the street my whole life. When we kids we used to say she was a witch who liked to roast children,” explained Jamie, recalling a ghost of his irrational childhood fear. “Of course, these days I know she’s just an old widow. Nothing to be afraid of. Still she’s always looking at me weird.”

“What’s to say she isn’t a witch? Could she be Baba Yaga laying low? Nevermind, I believe you wanted details. Down here is my lair, where my Nightmare Galleon is.” Black motioned to the darkness further down, before clenching his fist, “That upstart had the nerve to build his home on _my_ territory. And then he was foolish enough to leave it defenceless. Of course I took it one winter while he was away. That’s the problem with spirits these days – no responsibility. At least that damn Pooka and Sanderson work diligently. Not like Frost, or that fool North. Gets his hands on a magic sword and thinks he’s someone important!”

Again Jamie was annoyed by the way he kept being given important information but knowing what do with it. Who was Pooka? Sanderson could be the Sandman? Stupid story book characters being all complicated. What to ask about next?

“Why does Frost have some – but not complete – control over the shadows?”

“You really haven’t worked that out by yourself? You struck me as a bright young lad.” The mocking tone of that description was only out voiced by anger. “When he won my lair he got the shadows and fearlings, but he has no skill with shadow magics. Why would they listen to him more than they have too?” Pitch dropped from his near raging to a merely blood chilling scowl. “One last question, but it will cost you. I will have your greatest fear.”

Jamie considered both his question and his greatest fear. He didn’t have any phobias so he wasn’t sure what Black wanted. Plus, wouldn’t losing a fear be a good thing?

“Why did you call the shadow girl Sera, that?”

Black’s face flickered something hurt, almost human; then black took Jamie’s vision.

First he saw his father. The scum walking out his mother, on him, on his newborn sister. Then he came downstairs, trailing his sister, ready for breakfast. Only his mom was missing, just a note. She wasn’t coming back.

His sister screamed she hated him and ran away. He searched high and low – nothing. Jamie asked his friends for help, but they just turned and walked away. He was on his own. But he kept searching.

Years later he found his sister. He never gave up but reality took more of his time. He stumbled across his sister – a worn down, welfare reliant, teen mother. She pleaded for his help.

He turned away. He left her. _Betrayed_ her.

“Interesting,” murmured Black, mulled over Jamie’s payment like a mull wine. “Fear of betrayal. A complex of betrayals past against you, subconscious worry about the present and dread that you’ll become your father. Like so many do. Exquisite.”

Jamie parsed little of this. Bent hands on knees, panting after a sprint. He doubted Black had taken that fear. In fact, he was sure that it would become a recurring nightmare.

“You asked about Sera? I adopted the persona of this place as my daughter. Seemed only right that gift her the same name.”

Black hooked two fingers under Jamie’s chin and forced him to look up. Jamie flinched away from the oily touch but the grey spectre held him firmly.

“Now, what shall I do with you?"

Jamie started again when Jason – who he’d forgotten was present – spoke up, “Jack will come for him.”

“True enough. I do wish I could make you a fearling prince. I sense you’d be _brilliant_.” Black’s smile said just how their understandings of the word differed. “But alas, I do not have that kind of power to waste. No I’ll have to be patient.”

Jamie had the sinking feeling he’d become that foolish explorer who roused the ancient, sealed away evil. That rarely ended well.

“Oh no need to be so grim,” said Black, like Jamie was a child afraid of Santa not visiting Christmas Eve. “I’m not going to keep you down here. Umbra is correct, Frost will come looking. And frankly I’d just got my prison how I like it. Compared to having a spear through my heart, it’s quite pleasant.”

Without warning, the grip on Jamie’s chin shifted. With a thud he found himself pressed against the wall, one hand around his throat, the other muffling his mouth.

“But I do have enough power left to silence you. You will not speak of this meeting, of anything you learnt here, to anyone.”

Jamie’s lungs burned but the sick, oily touch was worse. Maybe it was his imagination but he could feel it slinking down his throat. A lump congealed in his Adams apple, while more entered his lungs. Again darkness took him.

* * *

 

Sanderson Mansnoozie frowned at the echoes in his dreamsand. Thinkers like Jung hadn’t been wrong – dreams were shared by people. He might only orchestrate the dreams for sleeping children, but he paid attention to the greater tides and currents of the world’s dreams.

The past half century had been easy work. A dark touch, he’d piloted against for millennia, had been missing. Naturally he’d been concerned but in the scheme of things it wasn’t a long period. Pitch had been quieter for longer than that in the past. He tried to let the other Guardians know, but they (and he too admittedly) were too busy.

Now Tsar Lunar had given them a message. The others had debated the meaning, concluding they were being ordered to stop Jack Frost collaborating with Pitch. He wasn’t so convinced. But they hadn’t listened.

North and Bunny decided to take a run at Jack Frost’s domain. A new spirit, one with no believers wouldn’t be a problem for them. Since Christmas had passed and Easter was late this year, they’d both been free. He and Tooth, well their work never stopped.

But that wasn’t what had upset him. That dark touch was back. An echo of an echo. A daydream of an adult? What was Pitch doing?

Sandy spun his dreamsand cloud into a flying saucer and headed for the Tooth Palace.

* * *

Catapulting upright out of nightmare was something Jamie had never done before. Lungs heaving precious oxygen, he listened to his pulse’s thunder in his ears as it calmed. A glance around told Jamie that he was back at the cave mouth, a worried Jason crouched next to him.

“Are you okay?”

Jamie couldn’t tell if it was a question or a statement of relief.

“Yeah, think so,” he gasped, “What happened? Did Bl-”

A burning, oily grip around and in Jamie’s throat choked away his question before he could voice it. He coughed harshly hoping to expel the feeling. The best he could manage was to get it to retreat and let him breathe. Seemed Pitch Black hadn’t been lying about silencing him.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Jamie said, as much to reassure himself as Jason. After a few false starts, feeling the spell rise, he managed to ask, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Jason smiled, gold eyes gleaming, “Jack owns me remember. Pitch couldn’t just take me. Let’s go sit somewhere else.”

Getting away from the cave sounded like a great idea to Jamie. He reached up to grab Jason’s offered hand but flinched back at slick feel of it. A sensation far too alike Black’s hand around his throat.

Jason looked hurt at Jamie’s retreat, but resigned. He said nothing as Jamie stood and wandered as far from the cave as the game would allow. The fact that Jamie didn’t object to him sitting nearby seemed to cheer him a little.

They sat in silence. Jamie couldn’t think of anything to talk about that wouldn’t invoke the gag spell. He spent his time turning over what Black had told him. More and more it seemed like there were things much bigger than him – or even Jack – at play.

“Here he comes,” whispered Jason.

Curious, Jamie followed Jason’s gaze. The shadowboy was tracking something in the snowfield but he couldn’t see it. Not until it was just yards away. He recognised that blue hoodie.

“Breakout!” yelled Jack when he slapped the cave wall in triumph. He then turned and lifted Jamie off his feet. “Let’s get you out of here! You’re running out of time!”

A chilling wind buffeted them, and Jamie found himself swept into the air. He’d seen Jack flying around but he hadn’t grasped that Jack didn’t fly so much as get blown around.

“What about Jason?” shouted Jamie over the wind.

“He’ll catch up,” Jack replied, “You don’t want to be thrown in jail again, do you?”

Jamie couldn’t disagree with that. He wanted to get as far away as possible from Pitch Black’s cave. He was going to rescue his sister and take her home. Everything would be alright.

He steadfastly ignored the coiling in his gut that he’d fail, that he’d fail her trust in him.


	7. Pointing Fingers

It was almost a dream come true. Flying that is. Though Jamie had always flown under his power in his dreams. Not carried through the air, held in someone’s arms.

“Are you going to put me down any time soon?” Jamie couldn’t help laughing over the wind.

“Now, why would I do that?”

Jamie met Jack’s teasing smile with a deadpan expression. There was something in that grin that Jamie didn’t recognise. Perhaps it was just Jack’s inexperience with mortals. Though, it was vaguely familiar.

“Because I don’t want my gauntlet run invalidated because you carried me to the finish line.”

That seemed to the right thing to say. Jamie quickly found himself set back on the ground. They were at the top of a snowy hill – perfect for sledding. At the slope’s bottom was one of the clubhouses dotting Winterland.

Outside it there was a ring of shadows. They had surrounded a large man in red, and were throwing a pair of flat, long, glittering objects around and over him.

“Who’s that?” asked Jamie, drawing Jack’s attention to the scene below.

“Oh! North’s here! Awesome.” The winter spirit knocked the snow with his staff and an ice toboggan formed. He sat down in it and gestured for Jamie to join him. “Wanna go see what’s up?”

Jamie dubiously looked at the toboggan. Sure it was magic ice but would it support two grown teenagers? Not that Jack seemed to weigh as much as he should.

“Make me a sled, and we’ll make it a race.”

Jack’s answer was an equally daring smirk, “Is that a challenge, Mister Bennett?”

“Yeah, why not,” Jamie shrugged, he doubted he’d win at winter sports against _Jack Frost_. But he had to be optimistic.

Jack merely leant over and tapped the snow with his staff again. A sled formed this time, highly reminiscent of the one he’d had a kid, though scaled up for him. The one Jack had apparently made ramps for. Jamie lay down on the planks.

“Okay. Ready? Set? Go!”

Jamie pushed against the snow and got his sled moving. Quickly it passed the hill’s level crest and began to pick up speed. In his peripheral vision he saw that Jack was lagging behind maybe half a sled length. He must have waited to give Jamie a head start.

One Jack was fast making up as his toboggan passed Jamie’s sled and settled a little ways ahead. Jamie could tell Jack was teasing him, goading him to try and make it a real challenge.

He obliged, ignoring self-preservation and moving his arms from the sled handles to tucked by his sides. The reduction in drag was just enough for him to take the lead.

Jack merely laughed as his hunkered down himself and retook the lead. He didn’t bother to tease Jamie this time, rocketing off to the finish.

Which Jamie realised was the back wall of the clubhouse. Just as he was beginning to worry about broken bones, Jack waved his staff. A snow drift rose up and he crashed into it with a fluffy explosion of snow.

As Jamie found a second later, the snow was soft and lightly packed. Perfect for stopping an out of control sled. After a moment enjoying the cool whiteness covering him, Jamie got to his feet. Jamie paused in brushing the snow off his clothes to examine it. In his hands it was cold, but didn’t melt. The blue-tinged white seemed to almost glow. The opposite of the oily stuff.

A flash above from the shadows turned Jamie’s attention back to the crowd. Gone were the monochrome children he’d met. The shadows were unnerving, melted wax versions of people – if they weren’t completely inhuman. He couldn’t see clearly over the shadows from their level, especially since they seemed to merge into each other. Jack had a better viewpoint from atop his crook. All Jamie could see was–

“Are they throwing swords around?” yelped Jamie.

“Yeah, looks like the guys got their hands on North’s sabres.”

“Who’s North?”

“You’ll see,” said Jack before shouting at the shadows, “Guys cut it out! I want to introduce someone.”

The shadows stilled and parted, giving Jamie a proper look at the man they’d encircled. He was big. Very big. Tall and solid, in a way that spoke of solid muscles hidden by overindulgence. Though his white hair was matched by a chest length beard, he didn’t look ancient, more middle aged.

“Jack Frost!” North boomed before settling into what seemed like a relaxed boxing stance, “Don’t think without sword I am helpless.”

“That’s my name. Nice to meet you,” chirped Jack. He hopped down to stand midway between him and Jamie. With the standard motions he introduced the two.

“Nicholas St North meet Jamie Bennett. Jamie, North.” Jack winked before continuing, “You may know him as Santa Claus.”

Jamie tilted his head. He could see it. Less jolly fat man and more badass Santa. The big man crossed his arms revealing _Naughty_ and _Nice_ tattoos.

“Ah, Jamie Bennett: Naughty List five times. Jack Frost, you hold record. Kidnapping is very naughty!”

“He didn’t kidnap me,” Jamie interrupted feeling a need to defend Jack. He certainly wasn’t anything like _Pitch Black_.

“Oh?”

“I accidentally summoned the shadows to kidnap my little sister.”

North frowned and Jamie was concerned that he was never getting on the Nice List again. Never mind losing Sophie, it looked like even if he got her home, he’d caused Santa so much trouble.

“This is troubling,” rumbled North, seemingly more to himself, “We buried that summoning. Mortal boy should not know it.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow, “It was an accident. I just made a wish when the wrong creatures were listening.”

The hairs on the back of his neck told Jamie perhaps that wasn’t the right thing to say. The background whispering that he’d stopped paying attention to swelled into focus. Now it was angry buzzing and threatening hissing. The shadows had twisted and grown – back to the monstrous forms they’d sported playing with North.

“Whoa! Whoa, guys!”

Jack attempted assert control over the shadows, arms out and palms down. They ceased advancing but didn’t retreat or drop their intimidating shapes. Seeing this, Jack raised his crook above his head and slammed it down.

An icy explosion roared out from the impact. The shadows recoiled and the unlucky lagging few were frozen.

“Shoo! The lot of you!” Jack ordered waving his staff at the shadows, “I’ll deal with the intruder.” Jack turned to face North and Jamie, rubbing the back of his neck, “Sometimes it’s like herding cats.”

“I may know not game you are playing, Jack Frost. But I will not fall for it!”

Jack’s answering mischievous smirk promised nothing good. Jamie groaned, he was beginning to dread Jack getting that expression. Though Jamie took some solace in not being the main target this time.

“Oh, we haven’t started playing yet!” Jack’s grin became manic and he rounded on Jamie, “What should we play Jamie? I’m thinking another question game. I’m sure North wants to know more about me.”

“That’s a little self-centred, don’t you think?” teased Jamie. But he wanted to know more about Jack – and suspected vice versa. “But what about Never Have I Ever?”

“I have heard of this. Is drinking game, no?” interjected Santa before turning a reproachful look on Jamie, “Why Nice list boy know so many Naughty things?”

Jamie couldn’t help but blush. He was being chastised by Santa – who was like every paternal figure ever had or imagined in one. Even if it was over something as minor as drinking games. It’s not like Jamie had brought up something really naughty.

“The internet,” Jamie blandly replied.

Jack snickered and jumped to claim the conversation’s focus again.

“Enough about that, better get inside before the others come back.”

Jack started shepherding them towards the clubhouse. Jamie complied easily, he didn’t want to see the shadows angry again. Plus, outside in a ring of frozen shadows wasn’t a great place to play a game. Santa seemed to still be off-balance a little as he didn’t resist Jack’s prodding.

“The game is Never Have I Ever.” Jack’s tone was firm, straight forward and _serious_ again. Jamie idly considered the growing realisation that Jack could be serious, he just preferred not to be. “The rules are pretty simple. We each take turns saying “Never Have I Ever…” followed by something we’ve never done. Anyone who has done that thing has to hold up a finger. If you hold up three fingers, you’re out. Winner is the last man standing. Any questions?”

At this point Jack was herding them into the clubhouse. Which was similar to the one Jamie had played (and lost) video games in. Beanbags and couches, however instead of an impressive entertainment system there was a bookshelf full of board games.

“One,” Santa replied, “how will I know you tell the truth?”

“If you agree to play the game, you have to stick to the rules. Winterland won’t let you break them. Why don’t we have a practise round? You’ll see what I mean.”

Jamie nodded and dropped himself into one of the beanbags. After a moment’s consideration Santa nodded and sat – not in a beanbag, instead claiming a whole two seater couch to himself.

“I’ll go first,” Jack offered, “Never have I ever peed my pants in public.”

Jamie clenched his fist. Just his luck that Jack would guess something seriously embarrassing. His resistance to confessing was pointless as an icy force wrapped around his hand. It lifted if out of his lap and gently – but unyieldingly – extended one of his fingers.

Jack cracked up laughing. Which only made Jamie blush and hide his face in shame.

“I was six,” he mumbled, “I refused to take a toilet break all day at Disneyworld.”

“Understandable,” Jack said calming down faster than Jamie could’ve hoped, “Why don’t you go next North? Give Jamie a little more time to recover.”

The big Russian thought for a moment before stabbing the air with a finger and shouting, “Idea! Never have I ever–” whatever he was going to say was lost in a coughing fit.

“Someone tried to lie,” Jack singsonged.

Santa cleared his throat, and spoke, “Never have I ever thought Easter better than Christmas.”

Jamie shrugged an extended another figure. He and Jack – judging by the sprite’s expression – were surprised when Jack was forced to unfurl a finger of his own.

“No one tells Bunny,” growled Jack.

“Never have I ever,” Jamie said quickly before Jack made further effort to keep his secret, “woken up in bed with a stranger.”

Santa just held up a finger and shrugged.

Jack didn’t hold out a finger but did crow, “It wasn’t a bed!” Then his mouth fell open when he realised what he’d just said. He covered his face and defended himself, “It was the morning after a big party, woke up on the floor with some other spirits.” He regained his attitude to declare, “Right, practise round’s over. Now we play for real. Never have I ever crossdressed!”

Jamie didn’t move, but Santa did, extending a finger. Jack fell into a laughing fit again, and managed to beg for details between giggles.

“I needed a disguise. I’m told I made a fetching lady,” he said nonchalantly. “I was a young man, then.”

Jack obviously wanted more details but it didn’t look like he was going to get them.

“Never have I ever,” said North in tones more suited to a judge sentencing a criminal, “worked with Pitch Black.”

This time neither Jack nor Jamie moved. Jamie didn’t think trading fears for questions counted, and thankfully Winterland agreed. It wasn’t like he could explain himself – not with Pitch’s jinx on him.

Seeing no reaction from Jack, North relaxed. Now he really looked like the jolly fat man that Santa Claus was described as. He didn’t need any more explanation from Jack and just nodded to Jamie to go ahead.

“Never have I ever been married,” Jamie said. He was surprised when no one moved. “What about Missus Claus?”

“Kristina? She’s the, how do you say дух места?” he mumbled a bit to himself, “Spirit of place, genius loci! That’s the English word. As my Workshop grew and more people – Yeti and elf – lived there, she came to be. She just looks like she does because the children believe. I could change her, but she reminds me of my little sister. Just because she lives in the same building as me does not make us married.”

Jamie looked towards Jack wondering what embarrassing thing he’d say this turn. Jack’s grim – and slightly hurt – expression broadcasted he wasn’t playing any more.

“Never have I ever gotten a Christmas present.”

Jamie grimaced as he raised a finger. North actually flinched like he’d been hit, and held out a second finger. The white beard hid most of the big man’s face but Jamie saw how his eyes hardened. Seemed he wasn’t playing any more.

“Never have I ever been on Naught List.”

Both boys held out a finger.

“That’s cheating,” Jack whined, “Should be anyway.”

It was Jamie’s turn now. He and Santa were on two and Jack was only on one. What did he know would catch Jack? He could only think of one thing.

“Never have I ever been captured,” there was a rough lump in Jamie’s throat, but neither the rules nor the jinx stopped him continuing, “by Pitch.”

Jamie hadn’t expected Santa to extend his third finger, knocking him out of contention. He was also unsure how Jack would respond to such an underhanded move.

Thankfully, Jack just melodramatically gripped his heart with his non-counting hand. Though Jamie thought he saw some real hurt on the sprite’s face.

“Playing dirty,” gasped Jack, “using our talks against me. You’re as bad as the cheater over there.” He punctuated his accusation with a thumb jab at North. “We’re both on two now, so I just have to get you out before you get me.”

“Sudden death, huh?”

“Right,” nodded Jack, before smirking self-deprecatingly, “Never have I ever been kissed.”

Jamie groaned and held out a third finger. Not a difficult guess for Jack to make, though he was surprised that Jack hadn’t been kissed.

Jack grinned triumphantly and did a little victory dance. Before he turned to face the two still seated, with a much more evil grin.

“Now Jamie you don’t owe me anything, but North… what shall I do with you?”


	8. A Game of One-Upmanship

“Do with me?” North echoed, “Mistake was made, we misunderstood Manny. We wipe clean the slate. Protect you from Pitch.”

Jack was silent for a moment. A parade of emotions passing across his face – confusion, anger, surprise, confusion again – settling on offense.

“There are so many things wrong with all that,” he said, dripping sarcasm, “Protect me? Bit late for that. Plus, I’ve got Pitch locked up in jail already.”

“What?”

Jamie would admit he found Santa’s complete bafflement amusing. Enough to cover his mouth lest his shaking shoulders become actual laughter.

“Yeah, when I escaped I got to lock _him_ up. Stuck him a deep hole to be forgotten.” Jack’s face was blank now, but Jamie sensed just a touch of something dark behind the mask. “If I don’t play games with him, he can’t beat me.”

An oubliette. That was Jack was describing. Jamie had always thought it was a terrible fate. If anyone deserved it, Pitch did.

“No prison can hold him forever,” North warned, voice old and weary.

“Ever got him to imprison himself before?” challenged Jack.

“No. But you don’t know who he is. Who he was.” Santa’s voice took on a curious effect – an almost melody and almost rhythm. Jamie thought it might be some magic, but he didn’t feel anything like he had during the tug of war. Jamie found himself being swept up into the recital of an old story.

“Long, long ago, before the Earth existed, there was a Golden Age. The peoples of the stars prospered and were ruled by the Constellations. The stains of this era were the Dream Pirates, Nightmare Men and Fearlings. The Constellations’ armies and navies, under the lead of the Golden General – Kozmotis Pitchiner – rounded them up.

“They were locked in a prison. Impenetrable and inescapable. It had one door, and needed a guard. The General volunteered and said farewell to his daughter, to stand guard.

“The Fearlings and Shadows tried to escape. Eventually they started pretending to be the General’s daughter, trapped in the prison. He didn’t believe them but one day he fell for the trick.

“He opened the door and they escaped. Worse still they possessed him. Thus Pitch Black was born. He turned against the Constellations. Under his command stars were extinguished, planets destroyed and the Constellations nearly killed off.

“The Golden Age fell, and Pitch Black’s reign of terror continued until he came to Earth. He wanted Manny, who’d never had a bad dream. After a great battle, Manny’s guardian Nightlight trapped him with a spear through his chest.

“He was trapped for millennia until he escaped in the Dark Ages. Manny assembled a group – the Guardians of Childhood to fight him. We collected artefacts of the Golden Age and were able to seal him away again.

“However,” Santa’s storytelling voice transitioned into a warning tone again, “he escaped once. Manny thinks he will again.”

“Maybe I should throw you in with him,” Jack grumbled, “Couldn’t do that to the kids though. You still owe me a favour though, North.”

“Why?”

“Because we played a game, and I won,” said Jack, armed crossed and a smug grin plastered on his face. Which fell into a worried bottom lip as he turned to Jamie, “Any ideas?”

“Presents?” Jamie guessed. “Sophie’s not that interested in Santa.”

“Hmm, I guess I could demand a tour of the Workshop. But I like trying to bust in.”

“Bust in?” echoed North.

“Oh don’t worry,” Jack waved off North’s concerns, “I never make it past the yetis. I’m going to let you go and just say you owe me a favour.”

Their discussion was interrupted by an angry ringing. After a moment Jack fished his pocket watch out of his pouch. He pressed a button and the alarm silenced. Jack flipped open the cover. Whatever it was made him frown a little.

“Well Jamie. That’s your last hour warning.”

“Crap!” – “Naughty!” scolded Santa – “Sorry!” called Jamie over his shoulder as he dashed out of the clubhouse.

Jamie didn’t spy any shadows outside. Even Jack’s earlier ice working was unstained by captured darkness. Jamie thought he’d be okay. The various shadow children he’d met had be nice enough. He doubted they would still be… monstrous. He wasn’t an invader and had Jack’s favour.

Looking across Jamie was pleased to see that he was almost to the Treehouse. He was now three-quarters around the pond. Once again he was struck by the double perspective of Winterland. The Treehouse might be a mile (and several games) away, or just a dozen yards.

Jamie did his best to focus on the smaller Winterland, in the hope that it might shorten his journey. He didn’t have time for a bunch of games. It was hard to tell if it was working. Jamie thought it might be, but it was giving him a headache.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Jack’s shout broke Jamie’s concentration. The nearly solid compressed reality and the fuzzy expanded Winterland switched. He found that he’d travelled about a quarter mile.

“What Jack?” asked Jamie sharply. His headache spiked into a migraine.

Jack held up his hands in surrender, “Just didn’t expect you to move so fast.”

“Sorry, sorry,” mumbled Jamie, rubbing two fingers at each temple, “my head hurts. I was trying to cross the little Winterland.”

“Little Winterland?”

Jamie’s response became a drawn out sigh of relief when Jack rested a cool hand on his brow. That really shouldn’t be so nice. After a moment the throbbing receded enough for Jamie to think.

“Depending on how you look at it Winterland is either this huge place or not much more than the pond near my house.”

“Really? I didn’t know you could do that,” Jack actually sounded surprised. Before turning mischievous, “The pond near your house _is_ my pond. The same one down there.”

 “Oh, the one you were born from?” asked Jamie then teased Jack, “So you’re a Burgess boy too?”

“I guess,” said Jack after a while, “I mean it’s the closest thing to a home I’ve got. I was around when I was just a dozen cabins.”

“So you’ve seen the world change a lot, haven’t you?”

Jack hummed agreement, adding, “I almost gave up keeping track of everything after I escaped Pitch. Machines were everywhere and there were so many people.”

Jamie wanted to ask more about Jack’s captivity but he was enjoying their light conversation too much to spoil it.

“You’ve seen a lot haven’t you? Care to share a Kodak moment?”

“What’s a Kodak moment?”

“It’s a special moment,” Jamie explained, “one you’d like a picture souvenir to remind you of.”

“Well one time I got everyone in Central Park to join in a massive snowball war. Young and old, black and white. It was pretty amazing. All the happy flakes really tried me out, though.”

“Happy flakes?”

Jack grinned and scooped a snowball from the ground. He blew on it and it glowed blue. The winter sprite tossed in his hand twice before hurling it at a nearby tree. Where the snowball exploded on impact a cloud of blue sparkles danced.

“I can make them as single snowflakes too,” Jack explained as he rolled his hand and produced a single, large, perfect, blue shining snowflake. “They get people to let go a bit and play. I use them to get kids to play nice sometimes.”

Jack’s mischievous grin returned and he blew softly on the “happy flake”. Caught in the wind it danced and headed straight for Jamie. Entranced by its beauty, he made no effort to dodge and was right between the eyes. Blue sparkles erupted in front of his eyes and a surge of glee made him laugh.

An impish thought crossed Jamie’s mind. It might be stretching the idea of a “game” a bit, but he was fairly sure he could pull it off. Jack wouldn’t see it coming.

“So, you’ve never been kissed?” Jamie was careful to keep his tone light. Trying to convey curiosity rather than ridicule.”

Casually, Jamie swung his hand out to clasp Jack’s. The frost spirit glanced down then raised an eyebrow at the mortal. Jamie just shrugged and kept the conversation going.

“Never got the chance,” Jack admitted, “I’m generally invisible to mortals. The shadow kids are who I see most. I wouldn’t want to kiss them. They’re all like siblings to me.”

“Aren’t there other spirits? Like Bunny and Santa?”

“Yeah, but they all hide themselves away,” Jack’s speech dropped to a mutter, “And they tend to hate me. For no good reason.”

Jamie deemed it time to step it up. He angled his steps slightly so he was brushing shoulders with Jack. Jamie slipped his hand free (he was sure he imagined a whine and resistance on Jack’s part), before slinging it over Jack’s shoulders.

“Okay,” Jack said, voice frosted with playful suspicion, “what are you up too?”

“Just a little game,” chuckled Jamie, “I’m sure you’ll work it out.”

“Is it a riddle game?”

“No,” Jamie replied. He took the opportunity to ruffle Jack’s hair with arm over his shoulders.

“Can you give me a hint? What’s it called?”

Jack had stopped walking to decipher what Jamie was doing. Jamie just kept going, stepping around face to face with Jack. Resting forearms on Jack’s shoulders Jamie smirked as answered.

“Two words. Second one’s a bird.”

“And the first?” questioned Jack.

Jamie ran a thumb across Jack’s cheek and leant forwards to rest his forehead on Jack’s. The same soothing cool spread from the contact. Only accentuating the contrast with his burning cheeks.

“Hmm, it used to mean happy.”

Jamie rolled his head and bent down to lick up Jack’s neck to his ear. Unsurprisingly he tasted like fresh snow melt. Jamie was rewarded by Jack arching head away, belly close. Plus the sound of a wooden shaft hitting the ground.

He didn’t have time to enjoy it, as Jack lunged. Frigid tingles ran down Jamie’s spine from the icy throbbing where Jack was nipping his neck. Jamie held back any reaction from a groan of satisfaction. After a blissfully eternal minute, Jack released his hold. Topping it off with a frosty puff across the mark.

“I think I can guess what we’re playing,” Jack whispered into Jamie’s ear, “Tell me if I’m breaking any rules.”

Jamie wasn’t sure what the noise he made in response meant. Between a hum and a groan, it was part agreement part fluster. Jack wasn’t meant to grasp the rules – certainly not return fire.

Nevertheless Jamie didn’t chicken out. He grasped Jack by the hair and angled him to kiss. For all the firmness of Jamie’s direction, the kiss was mild. Not soft or hesitant; nor rough or passionate. The kiss was something of a playful game of one-upmanship.

Jack responded by suckling on Jamie’s lower lip. Jamie removed one hand from crisp white hair to explore under the sprite’s hoodie. Jack countered by running his tongue across Jamie’s lips, demanding entry. Jamie grinned but didn’t surrender, instead pushing his way into the cool of Jack’s mouth.

Jamie shivered as hands found their way under his shirt. Tickling his sides and brushing his chest. The cold touch worked its way down, where abs might be if he worked out. Jamie moved his hands in the opposite direction, reaching up to flick Jack purposefully.

Jack retaliated for being made to flinch again by moving his hands lower. Too low.

Jamie recoiled, breaking all contact with Jack. He blinked furiously, wondering what had got into him. Why had he come on so strong? Sure Jack was interesting but he was never one to jump a guy.

“I win!” Jack crowed, doing another victory dance.

Jamie could only nod in slack-jawed agreement. How did a guy who’d been so handsy revert to a triumphant five year old?

* * *

A shadowy figure walked along the forest edge of Winterland. Though he had escaped his accursed pit, his magic still bound him to this forsaken monument to childhood folly. With a huff at his suspicions being confirmed he stepped through a shadow to his lair.

The unsettling architecture was as he’d left it. Stairs and arches running in every direction. The décor had always been somewhat decrepit but in his absence it had crossed the line from untrustworthy in appearance to actually danger-fraught. Masonry had crumbled, and the metalwork of his cages and “play-equipment” was rusted.

Worse still there were drifts of that light-ridden snow everywhere.

Pitch considered his position. There was no trace of Frost’s magic – suggesting he never visited the underground lair. He had few resources. His globe mocked him with its lights and the low levels of global fear. And none of him personally.

His fearlings and shadows had were corrupted and under the Frost brat’s sway. All he had were the two he’d stole back when he left his previous cage. He’d just have to collect some more, before dealing with the winter upstart.

“Umbra, Tennebrae. I believe it’s time we joined in the fun.”


	9. Love Song?

_Frost finished his victory dance and grinned._

Jamie slid down the wall, staring blankly at his feet. His breaths lurched between deep inhalations to sooth the stitch in his side and shallow pants as the lump in his throat nearly choked him. Tears ran down his face, but he didn’t feel like he was crying. He had no urge to close his eyes, or curl up and hug is knees. In fact, he didn’t feel much at all.

Just hurt and confused.

_“That was fun! We should do it more often!”_

He didn’t understand how it had come to this. Why after involving himself so much in the game (the kiss), would Jack do this?

_“You thought I’d let you win? I always win!”_

Jamie, long practised in pulling himself out of his imaginings, tilted his head back. Uncaring of the thud it made on the wall behind, he looked at where’d let himself collapse.

_“She’s ours now. You are too actually.”_

He must have entered one of the clubhouses. One that made no effort to match insides with outsides. A cavernous room, with only a few windows. Whatever illumination normally flooded it was absent. In the gloom he could see bleachers and odd lines on the floor. Which under his hands was scuffed polished wood.

_“Ready or not, here I come!”_

An indoor sports arena. Of course. Now he wasn’t so inwardly focused he saw players on the court. He wasn’t sure what they were playing. Seemed to be basketball, of the no rules variety. The players were shadows, and Jamie had no chance of seeing their faces in the gloom.

_“Don’t be like that, Jamie. It’s just a game.”_

He really should get up, find somewhere private. These shadows were Frost’s. They’ll rat him out. He’ll have to face the winter monster. Jamie just couldn’t stand to think of that. (Or shadow-Sophie.)

_“What about a new deal? If you make it to the forest you can go home.”_

But the self-recriminations came unbidden. He shouldn’t have trusted Frost. He shouldn’t have believed him. He should’ve taken the offer, then at least his mother would’ve only lost one child. Not both.

“Hey! Pass us the ball!”

Confused at a voice so like one of his friends – Monty? – Jamie looked around. One of the shadows, closer now, was waving at him. And pointing. He looked down, the ball was resting against his knee.

“Yeah, that one! What, are you stupid?”

With an angry grunt, Jamie leant forward to grab the ball. It shouldn’t have surprised him it was made of ice, with black lines through it mimicking a normal basketball. Furious, he raised it above his head and brought it down as hard as he could. The damned thing had the nerve to just bounce – not shatter (like him) – from beyond his feet, over to the shadow.

“ _There’s such a sad love_ ,” came a voice. It was dark and silky, and not one Jamie recognised. The singer was very good, sending shivers down his spine and a hitch to his lungs. “ _Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel,_

_“Open and closed within your eyes,_   
_He placed the lie within your eyes,_   
_There’s such a fooled heart,_   
_Beating so fast in search of new dreams,_   
_A love that won’t be matched within your heart,_   
_He placed the wound within your heart.”_

A grey hand offered itself to Jamie, and entranced he took it. All sounds disappeared bar the voice. Even in the singer’s grip, he couldn’t see the face. All Jamie knew was that they were tall, swathed in black and reaching deep inside.

_“As the pain sweeps through,_   
_Makes no sense to you,_   
_Every thrill is gone,_   
_Wasn’t too much fun at all,”_

Jamie was astounded by the venom of fun, but it fed his vindictive heart,

_“But I’ll be there for you~,  
As your world falls down.”_

They were dancing now. A careful dance, up and down stairs. Jamie couldn’t pull his gaze from his partner, but sensed the change in space. It echoed still, but the echoes were muddled. More and more they left the arena for something alien.

_“I’ll paint you mornings of gold,_   
_I’ll spin you Valentine evenings,_   
_Though we’re strangers till now,_   
_We’re choosing the path between the stars,_   
_We’ll cleave solitude through the stars”_

The tightness in Jamie’s chest was getting heavier. He needed to keep moving. He needed to escape. He needed to. He needed to listen. To the dark voice, and the one echoing it. The echo like his own in his head.

_“Falling, as your world’s falling down,_   
_Falling, falling, falling, (say you’re falling)_   
_Falling from love, (say you’re)_   
_Falling in hate, (in hate)_   
_As your world falls down, (he played you)_   
_Falling for me (say “I’m yours”).”_

Jamie opened his mouth to agree. Just two little words, his chest was clear, it would be so easy.

Too easy. Grey skin, black, tall, _that voice_.

Jamie’s shove surprised Pitch enough for him to escape the Boogeyman’s grasp. The sports hall had been replaced with something out of an Escher drawing. After an earthquake. Staircases and ramps and arches in all manner of unnerving directions. And everywhere cracks and wounds in the stone.

“Oh dear,” Pitch crooned, “did you not like my song?”

Jamie didn’t answer, instead (perhaps foolishly) turning his back and walking away. It looked like there were some spots of light here and there. He decided to try and reach one of them. Jamie had no real idea of which direction would lead him out of this place, anyway. But talking to Pitch was hardly going to help. Too bad Pitch wanted to talk, stepping out of a shadow in front of him.

“No, stay,” came the thinly veiled command, “Jack betrayed you, don’t you want revenge?”

Jamie’s shins and feet tingled from where Frost had frozen them. Stopping him so close to the Treehouse. Fixing him in place to watch the shadows steal Sophie away forever. Still…

“Maybe, but I certainly don’t want to do anything with you.”

“Too late,” said the voice that had echoed Pitch’s song.

Jamie whirled to face the new speaker. And saw himself. Or his shadow-self. Colourless and grey, just like the other shadow children. His face didn’t show any of their joy though, just grim stoicism.

“Yes, Jamie Bennet, meet Jamie Bennet. This is the power I could give you. Immortality, magic, _power_. No one could ever betray you again.”

Ignore Pitch, Jamie told himself, he needed to get out of here. Wherever here was. How had he got here? How was Pitch out of his prison?

“This doesn’t make any sense,” whispered Jamie.

“What, child?”

“How did I get here? I was in a sports hall, then it became this place,” Jamie answered, voice gaining confidence as he continued, “We didn’t move, it _changed_. And I don’t know how I got to the hall in the first place. It’s like a dream.”

Jamie didn’t notice that as he spoke the pinpricks of light grew. Or the flash of worry across Pitch’s face.

“Or a nightmare. This isn’t real.”

The rays of light blossomed into wide beams. Jamie didn’t miss when Pitch sidestepped to avoid one.

“It’s real enough,” spat Pitch and crushed his fist in front of Jamie. The beams flickered out, one by one. “This is a nightmare, _boy_. And I am the Nightmare King!”

To punctuate his boast, the only light left was the one shining down on Jamie. The stifling terror from his first meeting with Pitch returned. Though the light seemed to support Jamie’s resolve against it.

“But this is _my_ nightmare. And I know it.” Jamie grinned. “This isn’t my first lucid dream. _Light!_ ”

In answer to his order, the shafts of light broke through the cracks again. Unlike his previous lucid dreaming, his control was resisted. Pitch pushed back. Soon for every ray Jamie lit, Pitch snuffed another.

The stalemate continued until something hit Jamie from behind. Splitting his attention, Jamie was only able to prevent Pitch smothering more than one beam at a time. It was his shadow-self. Who’d hit him with a brick.

The grey arm came down again, to knock him out. Or worse.

Unthinkingly, Jamie reached up and caught the shadow by the wrist. It had the same oily feel as the dirty snow. Behind that feelings of fear and hurt and anger. Jamie felt it was himself – but a shell, filled only with his negativities.

Already the skin under his fingers was warming and becoming cleaner. Thinking of the snow again, Jamie thought about the good things in his life. His family, his friends, his happy memories.

Jamie’s shadow-self squirmed trying to escape his grip but stilled when the hint of colour spread up to his face. The shadow wasn’t becoming human, but looked more saturated. His eyes lost their flat deadness and a small quirk formed in his smile.

“Don’t get distracted now,” Pitch drawled, like Jamie was kid daydreaming in school.

Jamie had given too much attention to his shadow-self. Again there was just the one beam shining down. Jamie mustered his will, but he felt so _tired_. He was shaking.

Wait. Dust was falling from the ceiling. He wasn’t shaking. The dream-scape was. A rumbling was building, seemingly from everywhere. What was Pitch doing now?

The Boogeyman actually looked scared. Gaze jumping around trying to spot the disturbance.

Jamie glanced at the dirt falling. It wasn’t stone dust, but golden “sand?”

Things got confusing then. At the same moment Pitch stepped back into a shadow, and Jamie’s shadow-self turned to mist in his grip. The earthquake intensified and rivers of golden sand burst from all the arches and doorways.

The last thing Jamie thought he glimpsed before golden light took him under were dolphins frolicking.

* * *

The first thing Jamie saw was a wide, concerned face. Glowing yellow, with big spikes of hair. There was something hovering above their (his?) head, moving back and forth. Jamie squinted a little to try and follow it with his eyes. Looked like a little shooting star.

In response it burst, and reformed into a bunch of Zs which popped. Replaced with an exclamation mark.

“What?” Jamie groaned, his head was heavy. He must have slept really badly.

“You’re awake!” shouted someone nearby.

It took Jamie a moment to place the voice. And when he turns his head he sees,

“Jack?”

At Jamie’s questioning tone, the winter spirit’s tentative grin spreads into a smile so wide it has to hurt. Then to top it off, Jack did a standing somersault.

“You’re okay!”

“What happened?” Jamie asks, as he pushes himself to sit upright. He still doesn’t feel up to standing, but he probably shouldn’t lie in the snow.

“I don’t know. One minute we were talking, then you shook really badly,” Jack’s rambling answer was magnified by his hand wringing, “You fell down and I couldn’t wake you up. You were crying. Lucky Sandy came by!”

“Sandy?” Jamie echoed looking at the little yellow man. The glittering sand surrounding him triggered a memory. “The Sandman?”

Sandy, the Sandman, grinned, spun a top hat out of his sand and gave an elaborate bow.

“Don’t you speak?” Jamie immediately covered his mouth. A stupid move since his hands had been keeping him upright. Falling back into the snow seemed a fair punishment for his brain-mouth-filter mistake.

Jack laughing was unfair, though.

A hiss accompanied some of the golden sand lifting him up into a very comfy sand chair. Kind of made him want to go back to sleep.

Sandy floated in front of him and picture of a sleeping baby appeared above him. He opened his mouth to mime speaking, with a sand speech bubble even. Then the baby woke, crying.

“You don’t speak, so you don’t wake the kids?” Jamie guessed.

Sandy nodded happily.

Jamie wondered what Sophie would think of the Sandman.

“Sophie! I got to go!” Jamie gasped as he jumped to his feet. He refused to wait for his blood pressure to right itself, setting off in the direction of the Treehouse. “How much time do I have?”

Jamie didn’t stop for Jack’s response, focusing on the little Winterland.

“Fifteen minutes!”

He could make it. If he just kept little Winterland in sight, that was plenty of time. However his tiredness made it feel like his thoughts were travelling through tar.

Before he knew it the Treehouse was just yards away, even in bigger Winterland. Jamie stumbled forward. He was going to make it. Save Sophie, take her home. Maybe even invite Jack to hang out.

There was a shadow girl in the way.

“Sera?” Jamie asked bewildered, “Could you move?”

“No.”


	10. Promised Winnings

“Sera?” Jamie asked bewildered, “Could you move?”

“No.”

Too tired to argue with the girl, Jamie stepped leftward to go around her. She just mirrored him, stubbornly staying his way.

“You promised you’d play with me!”

“We played hopscotch,” Jamie reminded her, hoping that would satisfy her.

“No, you played with _Jack_ ,” her tone made the name sound like cooties, or worse.

“I said I’d play if I had time,” Jamie argued, “just let me get to the Treehouse and then I can play with you.”

“No. Play first!”

“I don’t have time for this,” huffed Jamie.

Grabbing Sera by the shoulders Jamie spun them around. Placing him closer to the ladder. He grabbed the opportunity and lunged for the Treehouse. He scrambled up the rope ladder to the balcony, and wrenched open the door.

Jamie slumped in relief. Inside the Treehouse (which of course was bigger on the inside) was an exuberant Sophie. The little girl hadn’t even looked his way from terrorising her babysitter. The giant rabbit did though, eyes widening in confusion.

“What the?” the Bunny shouted as he half stood, whipping out his boomerangs, “We were outside!”

“Sophie,” Jamie panted, “time to go home.”

Suddenly he had his little sister’s attention. Or at least her a protest.

“Nnnoooooooooo,” she whined, dropping her tea cup and glomping the Easter Bunny’s leg, “I wanna stayyyyyy.”

“Sophie, it’s way past your bedtime,” Jamie sent an pre-emptive apologetic look at the giant rabbit, “Maybe if you ask really nicely the Easter Bunny will come home and read you a bedtime story.”

In the way of all younger siblings unfavourably considering their elder’s suggestions, Sophie crossed her arms and gave Jamie an unhappy look. All while her arms were still wrapped around the Easter Bunny’s leg. Somehow.

“…Fine,” she conceded, before reverting to hyperactive menace mode, “Story! Story! Story!”

“Sorry,” Jamie offered the Easter Bunny, “you don’t have too, but it’ll be easier to escape her once she’s asleep.” Looking at Sophie’s grip, he amended his comment, “I think.”

“Nah,” the Bunny replied, waving off the apology and stowing away his boomerangs. “She’s a cute lil ankle biter. I’d be happy ta. I take it ya won youse’s freedom?”

“I _think_ so,” Jamie answered, he really hoped so. “I had fifteen minutes, ten minutes ago. Should’ve made it.” He looked curiously over his shoulder at the Treehouse door. “I ran off on Jack but I thought he’d catch up.”

“Maybe he bailed ‘coz his game with ya is done?”

Something like cold apprehension curled in Jamie’s gut at the thought. He didn’t know Jack very well yet, but he did want to be his friend. He was fun, and he seemed a little lonely. Jamie ignored the memory of The Kiss.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m going to check.”

Jamie walked back over to the door and opened it. He had half expected to maybe see Jack waylaid playing a game with Sera. What he saw was definitely not that. Sera was gone but Jack wasn’t alone.

Jack being man-handled by a hovering, iridescent, mostly green, feathery figure. She had her hands in Jack’s mouth, and he was flailing a little under the “attack”. The Sandman was just silently laughing next to the pair, commentating in sand pictures to himself. Relief washed over Jamie. He didn’t know who this was, but he doubted Jack would be just letting this happen. So she probably wasn’t a bad guy.

“Tooth! Hands out of his trap!”

Everyone, including Jamie, jumped a bit at the Easter Bunny’s shout. “Tooth” drew back from Jack, looking just like a kid caught with her hand in the lolly jar. Judging by the way she was keeping her hand close to her chest, she might have gotten a little nipped.

“Bunny! You’re here!”

The new face darted up to the balcony on blurry wings. Jamie was going to guess this was the Tooth Fairy. Up close he could see the details in her plumage. As well as the few little hummingbirds following her. Jamie got an even closer look – at her amethyst like eyes (they were faceted even) and feather “earrings” – when she was suddenly in his face. Quite literally as her hands fiddled with his teeth.

“Hmm, not bad. Better than a lot your age. You should floss though.”

Further dental advice was prevented by the Easter Bunny whacking the Tooth Fairy’s forearms. That was not something Jamie ever thought he’d witness.

“What did I just say?”

“Sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Jamie said, “I’m guessing you’re the Tooth Fairy?”

“Yes. Call me Tooth. Jamie meet my girls.”

She waved to the hummingbirds and Jamie saw they were not just birds, but mini versions of the Tooth Fairy. A little bemused, Jamie waved before asking:

“How’d you know my name?”

“Jack told me. Congratulations! He said you made it in time to save your sister.”

There was an icy flurry and Jack alighted on the balcony. The Sandman floating after him much more sedately.

“Aww, I wanted to tell him.” Jack pouted before bouncing exuberantly, “But yeah! Good work! I should get you a medal or something.”

“Really?” Jamie playfully deadpanned with air-quotes, “a gold medal in “fixing when I accidentally send my little sister to the shadow realm”?”

“Hey! Winterland is not the Shadow Realm!”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Jamie, waving off Jack’s offence, “Why don’t you visit my place? I’ll give you a tour.”

Jamie hadn’t expected such a severe reaction from Jack. He hadn’t flinched or reacted in a way that seemed negative. No, he just stopped. Stopped moving, stopped bouncing, Jamie thought he might have stopped breathing. After a moment Jack started again, slowly tilting his head.

“You mean that?” he asked in a soft voice.

“Yeah, I’d like to be your friend. Now that I don’t have to worry about Sophie.”

Jamie looked at where the little girl in question was keeping the Easter Bunny as a non-human shield between her and the Tooth Fairy.

“Or maybe I do.”

Jack snickered, “I wish I had a camera right now. How long has it been since these Guardians played with a kid?”

The subjects of Jack’s question were too involved in dealing with Sophie to answer.

“How would I know?” snapped Jamie. It had been a long day and he got cranky when he was tired. With a shrug he apologised, “I’m sorry, but Sophie and I really need to get going. We’ve been here five hours, so it’s _way_ past her bedtime.” Jamie’s breath hitched as his mind put five and eight together. “Oh crap, Mom’s going to kill me. It’s been hours. She’s gonna think we ran away or someone kidnapped us or we’re dead.”

Jamie’s babbling was silenced by a cold hand covering his mouth.

“Breath, Jamie, breath,” soothed Jack, “time’s a little iffy in Winterland. It’ll only have been thirty minutes tops.”

“Oh, okay. But still…”

“You should go,” Jack finished the hanging sentence. “I’ll escort you to the border and fly you home.”

“Sounds good, if there’s time I could give you that tour.”

Jack scratch his neck and gave Jamie a sheepish, apologetic smile, “Sorry, I agreed to show the Guardians Pitch’s jail cell, soon as I got you home. Why don’t I schedule a snow day tomorrow and I’ll visit you?”

Jamie almost retorted that you couldn’t schedule a snow day (especially when remembered the weather man forecasting a clear, balmy, mid fall day), before realising that Jack _Frost_ could.

“I’ll put it in my diary,” agreed Jamie, miming doing just that.

Jack and Jamie continued to banter as they crossed to the border of Winterland. It was a surreally different trip to Jamie’s gauntlet up until this point. They had the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman tagging along. With Sophie riding gleefully on Bunny’s shoulders and “steering” him by the ears. Noticeably absent were the shadow children, but Jamie guessed it was because he wasn’t a designated playmate any more.

The quiet was a little unnerving actually. So Jamie was sympathetic when Bunny threw a boomerang at a rustling thicket. He was then surprised when Russian Santa came charging out of it.

“I found you! Good! Not good. Why I was looking for you. Bad. Something’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong?” Tooth asked, fluttering over to the big guy.

“Not sure-”

“Better not mention ya belly.” Jamie heard Bunny mutter.

Before Santa exclaimed “-but I feel it in my belly!” grabbing his stomach for emphasis.

“Listen ya drongo, I’m gonna need a little more than your belly ache to go on.”

“Never been wrong yet!” boasted Santa.

Jamie had pegged Santa and Bunny as being the kind of best friends that are always arguing and insulting each other. Judging by the way neither Tooth nor Sandy had attempted to intervene it was business as usual. That, and the fact he didn’t want coal or rotten eggs, meant he kept quiet. Didn’t seem Jack was so reserved.

“Why don’t we worry about it after we get Jamie and Sophie home?”

“Story!” piped up Sophie from her steed’s shoulders.

“Right, I owe the sheila a yarn.”

“But Pitch!” protested Tooth.

“We’ve established Frost isn’t working with Pitch,” Bunny pointed out. “He’s a dole bludger make no mistake, but he ain’t malicious.”

“He’s right here,” muttered Jack, “and I’m not a dole bludger – whatever that is.”

“Manny told us to investigate him,” Santa countered.

“Yeah, so I’m goin’ with. The mites live close by. We won’t be long.”

“Are you the Tooth Fairy?”

The group turned at the interruption to find a little shadow girl fronting a crowd of shadow children. She was looking up at Tooth like she was the prettiest thing she’d ever seen. Given the limited colour palette of Winterland that might be the case. More so than usual there seemed to be something _wrong_ with the shadows.

Jamie thought he’d gotten used to their monochrome, slightly melted wax features. Maybe not. Maybe because he was leaving they weren’t glamoured or something. He’d ask Jack later.

“Yes, and who are you?”

Jamie didn’t hear the girl’s reply. Tooth speaking had triggered a flood of questions and a surge of shadow children crowding the Guardians, ignoring Jack and Jamie. Unlike their first encounters, none of them drew weapons on the shadows. Treating them more like children. The Guardians were still tense but it seemed more a consequence of rusty childcare skills than restrained violence.

Sophie’s reaction was much worse. She screamed. Jamie winced at the volume and he was afraid for the Easter Bunny’s hearing. Such big ears so close to his banshee sister. She wasn’t making it easier on her noble steed with how tightly she gripped his ears.

“Bloody hell!” the Easter Bunny swore and hopped over the shadows to Jack and Jamie.

He didn’t stop there, instead loping off towards what Jamie hoped was Burgess.

“Looks like we’re chasing rabbit!” Jack laughed.

Jamie didn’t get a chance to reply before Jack had – literally – swept him off his feet. The wind driving them alone was stronger, and colder, than last time. But that made it all the more exhilarating.

“I thought you were fast, Cottontail!” yelled Jack as they blew past.

“You don’t want to race a rabbit!” returned their competition.

Jamie wasn’t sure who was at a greater handicap. He weighed significantly more than Sophie but he would like to think he was a much better passenger. The lead was stolen a couple of times as they barrelled towards the border of Winterland.

The tree-line was dark and dull in comparison to the bright fun of Winterland. He couldn’t see the wide path that lead from the lake up to his house in the real world. Jamie didn’t know how exactly you got in and out of Winterland. He knew they weren’t leaving the way they arrived. His money was on the couple of bare, glistening white branches that reached out from separate trees to touch. It looked kind of like an archway.

And again, Sera was standing between Jamie and his destination. He hadn’t even seen her until they almost bowled her over.

“Sera!” Jack greeted happily, “You don’t normally come to the edge like this.”

“That’s him, Papa,” said Sera, ignoring Jack completely. Instead she pointed at Jamie with one hand while tugging on the sleeve of the figure who she drew out of the shadows. “That’s the boy wouldn’t play with me, Papa.”


	11. Sera Says

Pitch Black was out. Free of his dark, dank oubliette. The shadowy creature was even worse against the backdrop of bright and delicate frost. His mere presence seemed to dull Winterland, to make fluffy snow into harsh ice.

“Pitch!” Bunny shouted and a boomerang came whizzing past Jamie’s ear.

Jamie found himself pushed behind a feral looking Jack, holding a shaking Sophie to his chest. Jack had his crook levelled at Pitch like a spear. Though Jamie didn’t know how he expected to stab Pitch which a crook.

Pitch levelled the projectile an unimpressed look and a sudden wind sent it crashing to the ground at his feet. He kept the same bland expression as he side stepped Bunny’s follow up attack. He dodged the first couple but then Bunny caught him with a kick to the side.

Immediately a snow flurry separated the two, icicles binding Bunny to stand still.

“What the bloody hell, Frostbite!?”

“Wasn’t me!”

“No fighting!” Sera cried over everyone, “Last warning!”

“Thank you my dear,” said Pitch with an awkward pat on her head. “Now let Papa deal with the pests.”

“Sera?” Jack’s voice was soft and almost broken. “Why are you with Pitch?”

“He’s Papa,” was her simple – unhelpful – reply.

“You didn’t really think you’d seen the last of me, did you?” Pitch mocked. “I knew it was only a matter of time before I escaped. You can’t imprison fear!”

“How did you get out?” demanded Jack and Bunny – in differing kinds of impoliteness.

“You can’t guess? You freed me Jack.” Pitch’s grin was wicked and made Jamie’s skin crawl – even when Jack was the focus of it. Then the Boogeyman stood up straight like a pacing teacher and continued mostly to himself, “You know what they say. Those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it.”

Jamie didn’t get it and judging Jack’s reaction he didn’t either. Bunny however _snarled_ and wrenched himself free of the ice. He halted his second charge when Sera raised a warning hand.

“Yet the drongo is still whole. Keeping you locked up on his lonesome is no small feat.”

“Was that a compliment?” Jack whisper-asked Jamie who shrugged.

“Oh but you’re wrong, _rabbit_. He wasn’t my jailor. She was,” Pitch grinned as he placed a hand on Sera’s shoulder. “and still is. Jack’s foolishness may have freed me from my cell but she will release me from this prison.”

“Sera, don’t!”

“I’m sorry Big Brother, but you said Breakout.”

“Not so nice is it, Frost? When someone turns your family against you? Now all I have to do is beat you at a game.” The malicious grin was back. “And we used to have so much _fun_ together didn’t we. What shall we play?”

“Simon Says!”

The scene stilled for a moment. Just long enough for Jamie to realise it had been _him_ that suggested that.

“What? You don’t want the Boogeyman choosing the game, do you?”

“The game will be Simon Says,” decreed Sera. “Who shall play?”

“I shall,” said Pitch, when no one else answered he raised a non-existent eyebrow, “Are you not joining in, Frost?”

“My only way to win,” Jack said stiffly, “Is not to play.”

“Oh well, I _dare_ you to play. Or do you forfeit that too?”

Jack’s shoulders hunched at the challenge. Jamie wasn’t sure what exactly was going on. But he knew his fairy tales, Pitch would be trying to trick Jack into a trap. Jack had said Pitch couldn’t escape until Pitch won a game against Jack. Apparently a dare counted as a game. Jamie wondered what would’ve happened if Pitch dared Jack to release him.

“Fine. I’ll play.”

“Ah’ll play too.”

“This is between me and Jack,” snarled Pitch, “I’ll finish my business with you soon enough.”

“The Pooka may play.”

“Sera!” Pitch sounded genuinely betrayed as he whirled to face the little shadow girl.

“The more the merrier right?” Jack laughed, dully.

“Indeed,” answered Pitch after a moment’s consideration, before calling over his shoulder, “boys!”

From the shadows – not the trees – came two shadows. Jamie didn’t recognise them at first, they were stretched and warped, and the little light they’d had was muted. They looked dead. But it looked to Jamie like Pitch had turned Jason and himself. Or his shadow from that nightmare was real.

“We will play,” they chorused. There was something wrong with their voices that raised the hairs on Jamie’s neck.

“It’s not fair,” whispered Sophie into Jamie’s shoulder, “Help Bunny Jamie.”

“I can’t,” he whispered back.

Sophie lifted her head to aim teary, accusing eyes at Jamie. His hand, which had been trying to soothe her – or him – by rubbing circles stilled. He knew that look. He taught her it. It was for when someone was being stupid and _wrong_.

“I don’t believe you.”

Jamie flinched. He wanted to argue. He needed to keep her safe, that’s what he’d been doing all night. All his life. Sometimes he forgot the little things, but he wasn’t going to now.

“You can. You’re really good. You can’t let the Boogeyman win.” Out came the puppy dog eyes, “Jamie.”

Jamie tried to stay firm, he really did.

“I’ll play too.”

Unsurprisingly Jack and Bunny were the two who objected to him joining. Pitch just grinned and his shadow minions stayed quiet. The method Sera chose to put an end to the argument should have been expected.

“Simon says be quiet.”

They all hushed.

“Simon says step forward.”

They did.

“Simon says hands on your heads.”

They did. Even Jamie with Sophie reverse piggy-backed on his front.

“Simon says bark.

“Simon says close your eyes.

“Open your eyes.”

The instructions kept coming. Jamie lost track quickly of how many and what he’d be ordered to do. Nothing too difficult – even with Sophie. A couple of times he almost fell for the say the opposite of the previous without “Simon says” trick. Jamie wasn’t the first to misstep.

“Simon says click you fingers.”

Jamie heard five clicks and a muttered swear.

“Can’t do that sheila. Fur gets in the way.”

“You’re out.”

“But that’s not a fair shake,” Bunny argued, “asking me to do something I’m not built for.”

The little shadow girl just crossed her arms and glared.

“You are out.”

“Fine,” Bunny conceded with a huff. Instead of walking away he stalked over to Jamie. “Can’t leave you weighed down with this terror,” he said and pulled Sophie off Jamie. The Easter Bunny looked Jamie in the eye, “Don’t let that ratbag win.”

“Get out of the way!”

“Going sheila, going. Streuth.”

“Simon says hop on one foot.

“Sera says stop.

“Simon says stop.

“Simon says clap your hands.”

And so it continued. The instructions got trickier and faster. Jamie was thankful that Sophie was in someone else’s hands. Jamie doubted he could have somersaulted with her wrapped around him.

His competitors were worryingly good. Jack and Jason obeyed every Simon Says and ignored every other order like pros. Even Jamie’s shadow was doing better than he was. Pitch was a little reassuring though. His responses were stiff and often it took him a beat to understand the instructions. Hopefully the instructions would get too fast for him.

Then it would be Jack versus Jason and Jamie’s shadow. Jamie was confident Jack would win.

“Simon says hug someone.”

Jamie grabbed the nearest person, which turned out to be his shadow. Jamie was hit with déjà vu, his shadow felt just like it had in his nightmare. Except under the hollow negativity he felt a little bit of warmth. Echoes of the good thoughts he’d sent at his shadow self.

“Jamie,” his shadow whispered in his ear, “if I’m your shadow, where’s Jack’s?”

Jamie frowned and looked over his shadow’s shoulder at Jack – curious to what that meant. All he saw was Jason and Jack hugging with Pitch wrapped around the both of them. None of them looked comfortable. Pitch looked predatory. Jamie had noticed the similarity between Jack and Jason before, but this made it so much more obvious.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Simon says separate.”

Jamie didn’t get a chance to ask his shadow anything more. The game was on again.

“Simon says dance.

“Simon says hold your breath.

“Simon says stamp your foot.

“Sera says breathe out.

“Simon says breathe.

“Simon says cluck like a chicken.

“Simone says laugh.

“Simon says hands behind backs.

“Sera says hands behind backs.”

Jamie had a split second to consider the conflicting orders before holding his hands out in front. A quick glance over his fellow players showed that Jack and Pitch had made the same choice. However, Jason and Jamie’s shadow had kept their hands behind themselves.

Now which way would Sera’s judgement fall?

“You and you,” said Sera pointing at the two shadows, “you’re out.”

_And then there were three,_ Jamie thought to himself.

“Simon says sit.

“Simon says lie down.

“Simon says make a snow angel.”

Jamie did his best, and followed every instruction. He could only spare a little attention from listening and acting. Most of which was thinking about what Jason being Jack’s shadow might mean. Jamie had checked – he and Jack weren’t casting a shadow.

“Simon says do some magic.”

Jamie’s breath hitched. He wasn’t whatever Jack and Pitch were. He had to try though. He had seen magic, and Winterland was magical, dreamlike. Jamie exhaled and closed his eyes. Maybe he could treat this like a dream.

“Light, light, light,” Jamie chanted to himself, imagining a glowing ball in his palm, he had to believe this would work. Or Jack would be up against Pitch alone. Jamie opened his eyes.

A little golden orb was hovering above his palm. He’d done it!

“Simon says sing.”

Apparently there would be no time to celebrate. And Pitch was tone-deaf in real life.

“Simon says stand on one leg.

“Sera says switch legs.

“Simon says make a snowball.

“Sera says throw it.

“Simon says rub it on your face.”

Jamie had always been intuitive. It had caused him grief in school once or twice when he knew an answer but couldn’t say how. Looking at Jason standing beside Sera a suspicion crystallised.

“Simon says suck your thumb.

“Simon says say my name.”

Three competitors gave three different answers.

“Sera.” “My name.” “Emma.”

Jamie hoped he was right, or at least that Pitch was wrong.


	12. Ask a Favour

Sera – or Emma as Jamie had named her – spasmed. Her face flickered between the sharp, drawn visage she’d mimicked playing Pitch’s daughter and the rounder, more open face Jamie had first seen she her with. For a moment it looked like she was being torn in two. A shadow spectre of Pitch’s daughter clung desperately, trying to maintain its grip on Emma. The shade was shrieking as it fought to recapture Emma. Overall the spectacle reminded Jamie of a latex mask being slowly but surely peeled off.

Emma whimpered but stood strong, pulling against the shadow. Inch by inch more of Emma was freed, until the spectre was only wrapped around her ankles. For a moment it made a last ditch effort to resist the pull, and hide as Emma’s shadow on the ground. Emma scowled at it and started kicking, dislodging it like mud off her shoes. The moment its grip snapped the shadow screamed high and piercing before disintegrating.

Pitch recoiled at the sight of his shadow-spell (Jamie took an educated guess that’s what the spectre had been) being undone.

“How dare you!” Pitch screamed, “After all the love I gave you, you throw it away!”

“Simon didn’t say speak.”

Jamie saw the terror on Emma’s face, and was impressed by her facing the Boogeyman. Jason’s story had been about how terrified of Pitch she’d been. Jamie saw her gaze flick to Jack and Jason looking for support. But Jason was under Pitch’s thumb and Jack hadn’t worked it out. Inhaling deeply and centring himself, Jamie walked up to beside Emma and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Emma looked up at him and relaxed a little. She turned her attention back to Pitch and said, “Jamie won, he said my name. Jack isn’t second, since he wasn’t wrong. You. You were. My name is not Sera!”

The last was said with a stomp of her foot and an answering snow flurry from Winterland.

“The winner gets one favour of the losers.”

All heads turned to Jamie, who reflexively gulped. Pitch was daring him to do his worst, and Jack looked more worried than anything else. What could he ask of Pitch? There were two things Jamie thought to ask for.

First, freedom for the shadows. If Jason and his shadow were stolen from other people, what about all the others? But Jamie had a suspicion that he could only ask for one shadow as a favour. Not all of them. So he’d have to go with option B.

“Pitch Black, I want you to go back to your cell and stay there.”

“Granted,” intoned Emma, sounding more ancient force than little girl.

“No!” Pitch shouted. Any poise lost as he ran for Winterland’s border. As if he could escape before it took him back. He screamed over his shoulder, “You think you’ve won _boy_? I’ll be back.”

Jamie felt pulled back himself, like when the sea pulled away at his feet before a wave arrived. As the air’s pull strengthened, it was joined by a howling in the distance, and a deepening cold.

“Jamie Bennett, I will make you pay for this!”

Jamie was nearly knocked over as a wave of white blew past him. He watched in sick fascination as it barrelled after Pitch. The Boogeyman desperately threw his shadows at it. They were no use as inhuman shields, being swallowed up by the snow front.

No matter how many shadows he threw at it the snow caught up to Pitch easily. It wrapped around him and lifted him off the ground. The Boogeyman kicked and screamed as he was carried over their heads back to his hole.

“I’ll be back! You can’t cage fear.”

As Pitch was swept off in to the distance his screaming faded into insane cackling. Jamie found that to be scarier than being threatened. Mad dogs could be the most dangerous.

“What the bloody hell was that?”

Jamie turned and almost surprised at the reminder there were other people here than Emma, Pitch and him. Bunny was still in a battle-ready stance but his focus was on Emma now. Jack was equally confused. The moment Bunny moved towards Emma, Jack jumped in front of her, crook levelled at the giant rabbit.

“Calm down, both of you,” order Jamie, using his spare hand to foul Jack’s stance. “I just worked out that Pitch had corrupted Winterland’s genius loci or whatever. Her name being Emma was an educated guess.”

Emma nodded vigorously along with Jamie’s explanation. Then piped up, “Yeah, Jamie’s really smart.”

“Jamie, Jamie, Jamie,” chanted Sophie having reclaimed her piggyback position.

“Thanks Emma. And you Soph.”

Further discussion was prevented by the arrival of the other Guardians. Snow encrusted them, Santa most of all. They were all panting and talking over each other. It took Jamie a moment to separate the Russian booming and soprano rambling.

“Rachmaninoff! What happened?”

“One moment we were being swarmed by children then there was snow and they all ran away.”

Jamie couldn’t answer their questions, since they weren’t leaving room for him to speak. At least the Sandman was just silently asking with a question mark above his head. Fed up, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and wolf-whistled. The two talkative Guardians fell silent.

“Oh you know, solved a riddle, broke a damsel’s curse,” Jamie drily explained, ignoring Emma’s protest of being called a damsel, “sealed the bad guy back in his can.”

“A can?” muttered Bunny mostly to himself, before speaking firmly, “The kids telling the truth. Somehow he got the sheila out of Pitch’s control and she sent him packing. We’ll have to double check this “gaol” of Frost’s, but I think we’re good for the mo’.”

“Yeah, let me get these two home,” interjected Jack, then made little running motions with his fingers, “I’ll be as quick as a bunny.”

 “Can’t let ya do that, mate,” countered Bunny, “I owe this nipper a yarn.”

“Story!” called out Sophie.

“Right,” Jack said with a clap, “Bunny and I will finish walking these two home.”

Maybe it was some subtle magic of Jack’s (though Jamie had trouble connecting the idea of subtle with Jack), maybe not, but they were quickly moving along. Leaving the other Guardians behind. Not the headlong race they’d been running earlier. It wasn’t long before they had crossed the small clearing between them and the border.

Jamie had been right. The branches framed the portal. Or it was just chance that they ran under them. He shivered as they left Winterland for the real Burgess night. Jamie couldn’t pinpoint the exact difference, but there was something in the air that he’d missed. Or maybe something extra of Winterland had gone.

He had walked home from the pond countless times. Even a few dozen late at night. This was different though. Normally he was sneaking home with his friends. Not bringing his sister home accompanied by two folkloric characters.

Jamie had broken in via the window before. Somehow he wasn’t surprised that Jack could pick locks. Bunny certainly wasn’t. The living room was just as they left it. Not really, the little snow flurry that started this whole mess had torn down their blanket fort. And a glance at the mantelpiece clock said Jamie’s watch was four hours ahead.

“Jamie!” came a slightly exasperated reprimand from the doorway. His mom was there in her dressing gown, looking decidedly unimpressed with the aftermath of her children’s fun. “I gave you a little extra time, but it’s bedtime for both of you. You will clean this up in the morning.”

Jamie nodded meekly and followed the pointed arm upstairs. It was kind of weird how she made no mention of the seven foot rabbit or the strange teenager in her living room.

“We’re invisible,” Jack explained unprompted.

“‘Cept by people who believe in us,” clarified Bunny.

“Well, I believe in you now,” offered Jamie.

Conversation was hard to maintain with his mother around, helping Sophie brush her teeth and change out of her pyjamas. His mom muttered about how could Sophie have ruined fresh clothes so quickly. Jamie was thankful, she hadn’t turned her attention on his even worse state. He escaped to his bedroom at the first opportunity.

“Okay, I guess is it then.”

Jamie looked at his doorway, with Jack leaning defeated against it.

“What?”

“You probably won’t see me again,” explained Jack, resigned to this rule of the world, “You’ll think this was a dream, or forget about it.”

“Jack Frost. I promise I’ll see you again and we’ll hang out,” swore Jamie, firm and level. “Cross my heart, and hope to die.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Jack said, a little of his levity returning. He grabbed Jamie’s hand, shook it, then one-upped himself by laying a kiss on it, “Farewell, till we meet again!”

With that Jack ran and dived out Jamie’s window, falling out of sight briefly before rising back up to silhouette before the Moon. Jamie chuckled and staggered over to his bed, the gauntlet catching up to him.

Jamie fell asleep smiling, listening to a deep Australian voice tell a story about a rainbow serpent carving the land.

* * *

Jamie woke up bone-tired, and sore. He scrunched his eyes and rubbed a larger than normal pile of sleep from them. He’d had the weirdest dream. Something about wishing Sophie away to the shadows and having to win children’s games to rescue her. Maybe there was a shadow man too?

Thus were the vague notes Jamie made in his dream journal. He idly wondered what his symbology book would make of it.

Jamie shuffled down stairs, hunting for some coffee. Normally he woke up easily but today he felt like he’d run a marathon or something. Once the life restoring brew was warming his veins, Jamie noticed Sophie quietly drawing next to him.

He looked over at her work and saw – surprise, surprise – a picture of the Easter Bunny. That and fairies were his little sister’s obsessions. The Bunny looked different to her normal doodles though. Not the fluffy, chubby, usual bunny, this one was built more like a fighter.

“What happened to the Easter Bunny?” asked Jamie. “When did he get buff?”

Sophie looked at Jamie perplexed, “He just is. We met him last night. Remember?”

Jamie frowned, something niggled in the back of his mind, “No. We just made a fort and told stories.”

Sophie burst into tears and fled upstairs.

“What did I say?” Jamie asked the empty kitchen. He just didn’t understand girls, especially his little sister.

He decided that going after her wasn’t going to achieve anything, so he poured himself a bowl of cereal. Outside the window their backyard is covered in white. Snow hadn’t been forecast for today. That moment Jamie’s phone chirped as it received a snow day alert. Awesome.

Jamie sprinted upstairs to grab his coat. He was buzzing with anticipation, though he didn’t know why. It was just a snow day. But there was a promise in the air.

Feeling a little guilty, Jamie paused on his way back to the stairs. He knocked on Sophie’s door and rested his head on it.

“I’m sorry, Soph. I’m not sure what I said, but I’m sorry.” Silence answered Jamie, “You want to come out? It’s snowing.”

“No. Go away.”

“Soph.”

“Go away! You’re going to make him cry.”

“Who?” Jamie was really confused right now.

“Jack. Go away.”

Seemed Sophie had said all she was going to. Any further questions by Jamie went unanswered. Eventually Jamie gave in and went outside.

The neighbourhood was buried in white, fluffy snow. Jamie scooped some up and found it made a great snowball. Even if he didn’t have a target yet.

Jamie had the weirdest feeling he was being watched. The cool wind tickled the back of his neck and he whirled to face his watcher.

The street was empty.

Thwap!

Jamie staggered forward and cringed as snow went down his back. He spun around again and threw his snowball at the white-haired boy laughing at his predicament.

The boy stopped laughing when he took a snowball to the face.

“Jack?” Jamie asked, half to the spirit, half to himself.

“You still see me?”

Jamie nodded.

“You see me!” came a joyous shout as Jack bowled him over in a hug.

“Yep,” Jamie chuckled, oddly comfortable lying in the snow with someone on top of him, “I take it the snow day is your handiwork?”

“Some of my best,” boasted Jack, flipping upright to gesture grandly to the winter vista.

Jamie levered himself up less gracefully, and grinned as he said, “Well, I promised to hang out with you, didn’t I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this one. There will most likely be a sequel, covering Jack and Jamie becoming a couple and all that. But that's not my next planned project.


End file.
